ISTANBUL

The Israeli army claimed Sunday to have killed a Hezbollah commander and two members in an airstrike in southern Lebanon, as Israel escalated its attacks in the country.

In a statement, the army said Abu Khalil Barji, whom it described as the special forces commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, was killed in the Majdal Selem area on Saturday.
The army said two Hezbollah members were also killed in the strike.

There was no comment from the Lebanese group on the Israeli claim.

The Israeli army has pounded Lebanon with airstrikes and launched a ground offensive in southern Lebanon since a cross-border attack by Hezbollah on March 2.

According to Lebanese authorities, at least 1,024 people have since been killed and 2,740 injured in Israeli attacks since March 2.

The current escalation followed a joint US-Israeli offensive on Iran, which has killed over 1,300 people since Feb. 28. Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting “US military assets.”