The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Friday that they had killed Mohammad Rashid Sakafi, the leader of Hezbollah’s communication network, in an attack in southern Beirut, Lebanon.
According to IDF Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee, Sakafi had been leading Hezbollah’s communication network since 2000, maintaining close ties with senior Hezbollah officials.
Sakafi had been instrumental in developing communication capabilities among all departments of Hezbollah. The strike on Beirut on Thursday was based on intelligence, resulting in Sakafi’s death during the IDF operation. Hezbollah has not confirmed any casualties.
The IDF reported that since commencing limited ground operations in Lebanon on Monday, approximately 250 terrorists have been neutralized through ground and air strikes.
Over 2,000 Hezbollah military targets have been attacked, including terrorists, infrastructure, military buildings, weapon storage facilities, and rocket launchers.
Since Monday, Hezbollah has launched over 550 rockets and missiles towards Israel, with Iran joining in by firing around 200 missiles on Tuesday in retaliation for the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, another Hezbollah leader.
Despite Iran’s significant airstrikes, Israel has managed to intercept the majority of the missiles, minimizing damage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by stating that Iran had made a grave mistake and would pay the price for it.
There are speculations that Israel may target Iran’s military facilities, particularly those involved in ballistic missile production, as well as potentially aiming at Iran’s oil facilities or nuclear sites.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on regional allies on Friday to intensify their fight against Israel, marking his first public appearance since the attacks on Israel.
Khamenei urged opponents of Israel in the region to “double their efforts and strengthen their capabilities… in resisting this aggressive enemy.”
Reports from local media indicate that Ali Fadavi, deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), threatened to target Israel’s power plants and natural gas refineries. He warned that if Israel made a “mistake,” Iran would target all energy bases.
It is believed that the information in this report was sourced from coverage by The Jerusalem Post.