IDF kills 2 Hezbollah commanders in weekend strike, following drone attack on soldiers in southern Lebanon

Peloni:  Take to heart the meaning behind the following statement in this report:

Lebanese newspaper An Nahar claims that the IDF demanded the Lebanese Armed Forces enter a Hezbollah compound in the Ali al-Taher area to verify that Hezbollah’s infrastructure there has been dismantled. The outlet said Beirut is not willing to do so, as it would put the Lebanese army in direct confrontation with Hezbollah.

While this is far from surprising, it cuts to the very basis of the program which has Israel turning over its captured positions to Lebanon so they can do exactly what they are refusing to do here.  Relying on the LAF for any support in controlling, containing or disarming Iran is a very dangerous farce, and it will come at the expense of many lives which could otherwise be spared, but for this to take shape, Washington must end its inexplicable efforts to preserve the terror enclaves in the region, presumably in support of its Jihadi allies in Turkey and Qatar.  These Muslim Brotherhood advisors to the Trump administration do not want peace, they just want to keep Israel from a single victory in the ongoing conflicts, and with the support of the US, this is what is taking shape in the region.

Israeli military to seize Ali al-Taher Ridge, site of extensive Hezbollah infrastructure

J. Micah Hancock | All Israel News | Published: August 16, 2026

Israeli Adir F-35’s.  By Air Force Senior Airman Alexander Cook – Media.defense.gov, Public Domain, Wikipedia

The IDF renewed operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon over the weekend, after three Israeli soldiers were wounded in a drone attack late Friday night.

On Saturday, the military announced that an IDF officer and two soldiers were seriously wounded in an explosive drone attack in southern Lebanon.

In response, the Israeli army struck multiple Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Saturday, focusing on Hezbollah infrastructure in the Nabatieh and Ansar areas, following the injury of the three soldiers near Ali Taher Ridge and al-Nabatieh al-Fawqa. 

The IDF later claimed that Hezbollah commander Ali Samir al-Haj Hassan, a battalion commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, was killed in the strikes. 

According to an IDF statement, Hassan was killed in an IDF strike on a central headquarters of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force in the Ansar area in southern Lebanon, alongside several other terrorists. The military said that Hassan’s family was present with him at the site, and were injured in the strike, accusing him of using the family as “human shields.”

“Hassan’s family was also present with him inside the military HQ & was harmed in the strike,” the military acknowledged in the statement. “The strike was specifically directed at Hassan, who was a lawful target under international law, not at his family members who he used as human shields – hiding alongside them inside the military HQ.”

The Prime Minister’s Office announced the Hezbollah ceasefire violation in an unusual post to ? before the end of the Sabbath.

“This morning Hezbollah violated the ceasefire in Lebanon by attacking our soldiers in the security zone, which protects Israeli communities just across the border,” the PMO statement said. 

“Hezbollah is willing to do anything, including using its own civilians as human shields, to falsely accuse Israel of deliberately targeting civilians, which the IDF clearly did not,” the statement said, referring to the injury of Hassan’s family members in the strike.

On Sunday morning, the military announced that it also killed Abu Hassan Alaa, a senior commander in Hezbollah’s “Badr Unit,” in response to continued Hezbollah aggression towards Israeli soldiers inside the Security Zone in southern Lebanon. 

Hezbollah’s “Badr” unit is responsible for area north of the Litani River.

The military said that “Hassan Alaa took part in advancing numerous terror attacks against IDF soldiers operating in the Security Zone, including the launch of explosive drones toward IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon.”

Despite announcing the killings of the two Hezbollah commanders, the IDF did not acknowledge reports in Lebanese media of intense strikes in southern Lebanon overnight. 

Lebanese media had reported extensive artillery fire at targets in the villages of Rouman and Deir Sirian and surrounding areas, while on social media there were claims of ground activity by IDF soldiers.

According to the reports in Lebanese media, 11 people were killed in Israeli strikes between Saturday and Sunday, including three children and two women.

The IDF is planning to take control of the Ali al-Teher Ridge in southern Lebanon and is only awaiting U.S. approval, Lebanese media reported on Friday. 

Lebanese newspaper Al Joumhouria cited a U.S. official, who reportedly informed the Lebanese government that Israel was planning to seize the ridge from Hezbollah.

The official told the government that the U.S. would not prevent the operation, but had asked Israel to conduct a precise operation with minimal civilian casualties, so as not to upset the ongoing agreements with Lebanon. 

A source close to U.S. Lieutenant General Joseph R. Clearfield, who heads the U.S.-led Ceasefire monitoring mechanism established following the Lebanon truce of April 16, 2026, told the Lebanese MTV channel that due to a lack of response by Hezbollah to the ceasefire efforts, Israel would soon take control of the ridge and expand military activity in the area.

According to Lebanese newspaper Nidaa al Watan, the IDF has been using robotic systems to establish positions in the area, reducing the risk to soldiers.

The outlet claimed that Israel’s interest in seizing the ridge is due to the presence of multiple Hezbollah tunnels and facilities beneath the ridge, which could be used to threaten Israeli positions in the southern Lebanon security zone.

This claim was supported by a report from Israel’s Channel 12, which also noted the presence of an extensive Hezbollah tunnel system under the ridge.

Meanwhile, a report in Lebanese newspaper An Nahar, claims that the IDF demanded the Lebanese Armed Forces enter a Hezbollah compound in the Ali al-Taher area to verify that Hezbollah’s infrastructure there has been dismantled. The outlet said Beirut is not willing to do so, as it would put the Lebanese army in direct confrontation with Hezbollah.