The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Friday, October 4, that they had killed a senior leader involved in the Hezbollah missile manufacturing chain in Lebanon and rescued a woman who had been held captive by Hamas for 10 years.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, IDF stated that they had killed Mahmoud Yusef Anisi, who joined Hezbollah 15 years ago and was involved in the organization’s precision guided missile manufacturing activities in Lebanon.
“He possessed many technical capabilities in the field of weapon manufacturing and was an important source of knowledge,” IDF said, “Israel will continue to take action against the threats posed by Hezbollah.”
On Friday, the Israeli Defense Forces also mentioned that in a joint operation with the United States, they rescued a 21-year-old Yazidi woman and returned her to her family in Iraq. The woman had been kidnapped by ISIS in 2014 in Iraq and had been held in Gaza for 10 years.
In 2014, ISIS attacked and occupied Sinjar and surrounding areas in northern Iraq, primarily inhabited by Yazidis. At that time, ISIS massacred thousands of men and captured many women.
The woman’s name is Fawzia Amin Sido. Israel stated that about ten years ago, when she was only 11 years old, ISIS terrorists sold her to a Hamas terrorist in Gaza with connections to ISIS, where she was imprisoned.
Last October, after Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel, Israel declared war on Hamas and initiated “Operation Swords of Iron.”
During “Operation Swords of Iron,” the Hamas fighters who held her captive were killed, and Sido managed to escape to a hiding place in Gaza. In a complex operation coordinated by Israel, the United States, and other international actors, Sido was finally rescued from Gaza and reunited with her family in Iraq.
“This operation further proves the connection between Hamas and ISIS, highlighting the heinous crimes committed by this terrorist organization in Gaza,” Israel stated. “We will continue to take action to dismantle the Hamas-ISIS terror network and rescue all hostages held by Hamas.”