Israel's military chief said on Tuesday that Hezbollah’s decision to withhold information about its casualties shows the terrorist group is in a difficult position.
"Hezbollah is hiding its casualties while fabricating losses on our side, There is a gap that shows the organization is in a difficult situation," IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said during a security briefing. "We need to widen this gap, protect our forces, strike their operatives and apply more pressure as Hezbollah faces growing distress."
Halevi’s remarks come as Hezbollah has reportedly stopped publishing its daily list of casualties since Israel launched its Operation Northern Arrows, which opened with a spree of exploding pagers and walkie-talkies that killed dozens of Hezbollah terrorists and maimed thousands and continued with airstrikes on Beirut and a ground incursion into southern Lebanon. While the group has also refrained from disclosing the names of its senior commanders killed in the fighting, Israel continues to target key figures.
Meanwhile, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari highlighted on Tuesday during an interview with the U.S.-based Arabic-language channel Alhurra the list of top Hezbollah commanders killed since the start of the war, including Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
Hagari presented a graphic showing other high-ranking figures, such as Hashem Safieddine, Nasrallah’s expected successor, and Hezbollah intelligence chief Ali Hussein Hazima, though their deaths remain unconfirmed.
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Graphic detailing Hezbollah leaders eliminated by IDF
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Among the confirmed slain leaders are Ibrahim Muhammad Qubaisi, head of Hezbollah’s missile and rocket division; Ali Karaki, southern front commander; and Ibrahim Aqil, head of operations. The list also includes Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s top military commander, Nabil Qaouk, head of Hezbollah's preventive security unit, and several others responsible for arms transfers and air defense.
Hagari reiterated that Hezbollah initiated the hostilities last year and emphasized that the Israeli military would continue targeting locations where the group stores weapons. "Any home containing Hezbollah weaponry will be struck," he said, adding that Lebanon’s borders would remain under close surveillance to prevent arms smuggling.
"We are not at war with the state of Lebanon or its people," Hagari said, clarifying that Israeli operations are focused on Hezbollah’s use of southern Lebanese villages as military bases. "Our actions are limited to targeting the villages Hezbollah has turned into terror hubs near our border."
The elimination of three armed terrorists by the 282nd Brigade’s Fire Control Center
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