Israel on Monday said its military carried out an airstrike that killed Abu Ali Rida, a Hezbollah commander, in southern Lebanon. Rida was reportedly responsible for commanding operations in the region of Baraachit, where he allegedly took part in planning and carrying out attacks against Israeli forces situated along the Lebanese border.

Who was Abu Ali Rida, and what was his role?

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have described Rida as a strategic figure in the military operations of Hezbollah. According to the IDF, he played a central role in organizing and directing rocket and anti-tank missile assaults on Israeli troops. Israel holds him responsible for leading the activities of Hezbollah operatives in the area, which the IDF stated in an official report. However, no information was received from the military regarding the time frame of the attack.

Intensified clashes in Southern Lebanon

The strike against Rida is the latest in a series of escalating attacks that have defined the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah since the renewed hostilities in late September. In recent weeks, according to press accounts, Israel has shelled and killed several members of Hezbollah's high command: including several ranking officers; as well as former secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah: meanwhile, violence across the Lebanon border persists and intensifies.

Background on the Israel-Hezbollah conflict

The two countries were at hostilities with each other for months as cross-border fire occurred episodically. Hezbollah has been supporting its ally Hamas in Gaza with frequent rocket attacks into northern Israel. This confrontation is one of the largest with Hamas in Gaza, Israel has had since a major assault by Hamas on southern Israeli areas on October 7 last year. It marked one of the deadliest periods of warfare in the region.

It thus underlines the intricacy that the growing conflict has adopted, now that Israel begins to fight both Hamas, in Gaza, and the forces of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.