Israel claims to have killed Hezbollah commander in airstrike on southern Lebanon

Israel on Saturday claimed that it killed a Hezbollah commander in an airstrike in the district of Tyre, southern Lebanon.

In a statement, the Israeli army said its forces eliminated Hossein Ibrahim Kassab in a drone attack targeting his motorcycle.

Kassab served as a force commander in the Radwan unit special force of the Hezbollah group, the statement claimed.

Separately, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency confirmed the strike, and said one person was killed. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.

Fears have grown of a full-fledged war between Israel and Hezbollah amid an exchange of border fire, especially after last month's assassination of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

The attacks come in the backdrop of a deadly Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which has killed more than 40,000 people since last October, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.