The IDF said Thursday killed Maher Qassem Hamdan, the Commander of the Lebanese Resistance Brigades terrorist organization in the Chebaa area in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, in addition to seven others fleeing the area.
Hamdan was responsible for terrorist recruitment, weapons supply, and funding the Lebanese Resistance Brigades in Chebaa, according to the IDF, which added that the organization is funded by the Hezbollah terror organization and is connected to it directly.
The IDF also said Thursday that it killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, a close aide to Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, in a strike in Beirut on Wednesday, as part of a broader wave of attacks on Hezbollah infrastructure across Lebanon.
Harshi was Qassem’s personal secretary and nephew, who also served as a senior advisor and played a central role in managing and securing the Hezbollah leader’s office.
The IDF added that overnight strikes targeted two key crossings used by Hezbollah operatives to move between areas north and south of the Litani River and transfer weapons. Around 10 weapons storage sites, launchers, and command centers in southern Lebanon were struck as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt the group’s military capabilities, the IDF said.
Separately, IDF troops from the 401st Brigade located a shaft leading to a subterranean site from which a terrorist emerged and was killed in close-quarters combat earlier this week. Inside, troops discovered a cache of weapons, including explosives, rockets, RPG launchers, grenades, and additional equipment, according to the military.
Moreover, the IDF said later Thursday that it carried out a strike in the Sidon area, killing Maher Qassem Hamdan, commander of the Lebanese Brigades in the Shebaa region, along with eight additional operatives who were attempting to flee the area.
Meanwhile, troops from the 215th Fire Brigade killed in recent days over 70 Hezbollah terrorists, including a cell preparing mortar fire against Israeli forces, the IDF said.
Earlier on Thursday, the IDF published footage of Paratroopers Brigade troops operating under the 98th Division during ground operations in southern Lebanon over the past week, targeting dozens of Hezbollah operatives and uncovering hidden weapons.
The military said troops moved into additional areas as part of efforts to establish operational control and reinforce Israel’s forward defensive line along the northern border. The operations were aimed at removing threats to Israeli civilians in the north while degrading Hezbollah’s infrastructure in the area, according to the military.
Troops located and seized a range of weapons, the IDF said, including firearms, magazines, and explosive devices that had been concealed, often within civilian areas, for use against IDF troops. The military added that the weapons caches were embedded within operational zones used by Hezbollah.
The Paratroopers Brigade has now established operational control over key sectors in southern Lebanon, according to the IDF, and continues to carry out strikes on what it described as terrorist infrastructure.
IDF activity in Lebanon aimed at reducing threats to frontline communities
The activity marks a continued expansion of Israeli ground maneuvers in Lebanon, as the military seeks to push Hezbollah forces further from the border and reduce immediate threats to northern communities.
The IDF released initial footage and images from the operations, showing troops conducting searches, locating weapons, and operating in built-up and rural terrain across southern Lebanon.
IDF carries out "largest coordinated wave of strikes across Lebanon" since war began
The IDF said Wednesday afternoon that it carried out what it called its "largest coordinated wave of strikes across Lebanon" since the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion, targeting over 100 Hezbollah command centers and military sites across Beirut.
The IDF has said it was carrying out operations "In accordance with directives from the political leadership," amid conflicting reports of whether Lebanon is included in the ceasefire with Iran announced earlier this week by US President Donald Trump.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Lebanon was never part of the ceasefire agreement.