The IDF killed senior Hezbollah commander Abu Hassan Alaa during weekend strikes in the Deir ez-Zahrani area in southern Lebanon, the military announced on Sunday morning.

Alaa served as a commander in Hezbollah’s Bader Unit and had carried out attacks on IDF soldiers operating in the region. 

The military noted that its strikes came alongside those from over the weekend at Hezbollah’s headquarters in the Ansar area, in which Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan, a battalion commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan Force unit, was killed.

Both attacks came in response to the incident in which three IDF soldiers were seriously wounded over the weekend.

However, the IDF noted on Saturday that, at the time of the strike, Hassan’s family was with him inside the headquarters.

IDF, PMO says military was unaware of civilians in Hezbollah HQ during strike

“It should be emphasized that the family members were not the target of the strike,” the IDF wrote in a statement. “The strike was specifically directed at Hassan, who was a lawful target under international law.”

“The terrorist used his family as human shields, hiding alongside them inside the military headquarters.”

The Prime Minister’s Office said that it had been unaware that Hezbollah put civilians in the Hezbollah military compound.

“Only later did the IDF learn that Hezbollah deliberately put civilians in that military compound. 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.”

Shoshana Baker and Corinne Baum contributed to this report.

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