Israeli army claims to have killed Hezbollah commander in Lebanon airstrike

The Israeli army claimed Tuesday to have killed a Hezbollah commander in an airstrike in southern Lebanon.

A military statement said that Hassan Kamal Halawi was killed in the strike that targeted the Nabatieh district on Monday.

The army claimed that Halawi was a commander in Hezbollah's anti-tank unit and was responsible for transporting and arming Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah or the Lebanese authorities on the Israeli claim.

A fragile ceasefire had been in place in Lebanon since November, ending months of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.

Lebanese authorities reported over 1,200 Israeli violations of the ceasefire, including the deaths of 100 people and injuries to more than 330.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after it refused to comply. It still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.