Israeli Army: Two Hezbollah Field Commanders Killed

As the war between Hamas and Israel continues in Gaza, Hezbollah, supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, continues to exchange fire with Israel. On Tuesday, April 23, Hezbollah announced that it attacked Israeli military bases in northern Akka with a drone. The Israeli army claims it is unaware of any targeting of its facilities by this Iran-backed group, but previously stated that it intercepted two 'aerial targets' off its northern coast. Hezbollah stated that this attack was in retaliation for a previous Israeli strike that killed one of its fighters, and published something resembling a satellite image showing the target area marked with a red circle halfway between Akka and Nahariya to the north. Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced on Tuesday, April 23, that it killed two Hezbollah field commanders in southern Lebanon during its airstrikes. Hezbollah confirmed the death of one of its members named Hussein Ali Azqoul but did not provide further details. Reuters reported, citing two security sources close to Hezbollah, that Azqoul was an engineer in Hezbollah's air defense units and participated in the group's field operations. These sources stated that Israel conducted the attack while closely monitoring their homes using spy drones. The Israeli army said that Azqoul's death could significantly impact Hezbollah's air units. The Israeli army also mentioned that in a separate attack, another Hezbollah fighter from the 'elite forces' of the Rizwaan unit was killed, but Hezbollah has not yet confirmed this person's death. According to Reuters, since last October, Israeli attacks have killed about 270 Hezbollah fighters and around 50 civilians. Hezbollah has also killed more than a dozen Israeli soldiers and several civilians with missile and drone strikes, displacing tens of thousands on both sides. The United States designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in 1997. Britain, Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, and several other countries have long classified Hezbollah as a terrorist group. On Saturday, the Israeli army targeted Hezbollah forces in Lebanon for the third time.