Top Hezbollah Commander killed in Israeli airstrike, IDF confirms

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Sunday that Hussein Ali Nasr, the deputy head of Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, was killed in a precision drone strike in the village of Kaouthariyet al-Saiyad, located between Sidon and Tyre in southern Lebanon. The strike, part of Israel’s broader campaign against Hezbollah’s logistical operations during the ongoing Swords of Iron war, targeted Nasr for his involvement in smuggling weapons and funds from Iran into Lebanon to rebuild the militant group’s capabilities.

According to the IDF, Unit 4400 is a critical logistical wing of Hezbollah, responsible for receiving and distributing weapons and financial aid from Iranian sources and other regional allies. Hussein Nasr played a pivotal role in this effort, reportedly facilitating weapons transfers through Lebanon’s Beirut International Airport by coordinating with Hezbollah operatives embedded among airport staff. He also advanced and led procurement deals with arms smugglers operating along the porous Syria-Lebanon border.

In addition to his smuggling activities, Nasr was reportedly in charge of overseeing Hezbollah’s broader force buildup, helping to restore and strengthen the organization’s military infrastructure. This included facilitating the delivery of advanced weaponry and directing efforts to replenish Hezbollah’s stockpiles amid sustained Israeli airstrikes.

Sunday’s strike is part of a wider IDF campaign aimed at dismantling Hezbollah’s supply networks and command structure. In recent months, Israel has launched multiple targeted operations against Unit 4400. These include the assassination of the unit’s former commander, Muhammad Ja’far Qasir, in Beirut in October 2024, followed by the elimination of his successor, Ali Hassan Gharib, in Damascus just weeks later.

Meanwhile, Lebanese media reported related strikes and incidents across southern Lebanon. Al-Jadeed TV noted an Israeli attack on a prefabricated structure in Houla, which killed one person. Separately, Hezbollah-affiliated sources reported an explosion inside a Lebanese army vehicle in southern Lebanon’s al-Qasiba region, though the cause remains unclear.

The targeted killing of Hussein Nasr marks another significant blow to Hezbollah’s operational network as Israel intensifies efforts to disrupt weapons smuggling and degrade the group’s capabilities amid heightened regional tensions.