Hezbollah: Israeli Claim of Killing Half of Commanders Denied, Only Few Slain
Hezbollah disputed Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's claim that half of its commanders in southern Lebanon had been killed during the ongoing clashes with the Israeli army.
Hezbollah stated that only a few of its commanders had been slain, and the rest were in hiding.
The tensions between Hezbollah and Israel escalated after Hezbollah's Palestinian ally Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, leading to near-daily exchanges of fire between the two sides.
A Hezbollah source denied claims by an Israeli military officer that the number of high-level Hezbollah members killed in the ongoing conflict exceeds the number of fingers on one hand.
The source called the claim "untrue and baseless" and intended to boost Israeli morale.
Israel has previously announced the killing of local Hezbollah commanders in targeted strikes, but the group has only confirmed a few high-level losses.
Since October 8, at least 380 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 252 Hezbollah fighters and civilians.
Israel reports that 11 soldiers and eight civilians have been killed on its side of the border with Lebanon.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced on both sides.
Hezbollah has increased rocket attacks on military bases, while Israel's army has retaliated with "offensive action" and strikes on 40 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon's south.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah claims his group has 100,000 "trained" and "armed" fighters, but analysts believe this number is inflated.