Hezbollah’s air unit crumbles: Senior commander eliminated

The head of operations of Hezbollah's air force unit (127), Jaafar Ali Samahah, who commanded the launch of unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles towards Israel was eliminated yesterday (Tuesday).

In recent years, Hezbollah has established a series of assets for the 127th Air Unit throughout Lebanon. In these assets, the enemy manufactured and stored hundreds of UAVs and cruise missiles of various types intended to harm the State of Israel and were systematically hidden in villages and civilian buildings.

Hezbollah's air unit was established under Iranian leadership, and for years UAVs, cruise missiles, and production components were transferred to the unit from Iran, while training the unit's operatives were carried out.

The unit is responsible for many aerial terror plots using unmanned aerial vehicles that are aimed at the home front of the State of Israel on a daily basis.

A UAV fabrication asset of Hezbollah's Unit 127 under a civilian building in Beirut (Photo: IDF )

IAF destroys a UAV fabrication asset in Beirut (Photo: IDF )

Since the beginning of the war, and in the framework of Operation Northern Arrows in particular, fighter jets, under the direction of the Intelligence Directorate and the Air Force, have embarked on an extensive effort to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure of the air unit.

As part of these attacks, the IAF attacked 200 terrorist targets and infrastructures of the unit, including more than 150 launch sites for UAVs, about 20 weapons depots where UAVs and cruise missiles were kept, about 30 headquarters used by the unit, and about 4 production workshops for UAVs and cruise missiles. With the help of these attacks, Hezbollah lost 70% of its UAV stockpile, and about 30 cruise missiles intended to harm Israeli civilians.

Alongside the unit's assets, the IDF is working to thwart its operatives and commanders.

Yesterday (Tuesday), in a targeted attack in Beirut, the head of operations of the air unit, Jaafar Ali Samahah, who directed and commanded many aerial terror routes, including the firing of cruise missiles and desperate aircraft at the home front of the State of Israel, was also killed.

In addition, he was responsible for coordinating the outlines between the various units of the Hezbollah terrorist organization. Samaha served as the deputy commander of Unit 127 and was a senior officer in the unit for more than ten years.