Hezbollah denies Israeli claims of assassination of senior commander in southern Lebanon

Hezbollah rejected Israeli claims Monday evening that its senior commander, Abu Ali Rida, was assassinated in the southern Lebanese town of Baraachit.

"The Zionist allegations of the martyrdom of our brother, the fighter Hajj Abu Ali Rida, are unfounded," according to a Hezbollah statement.

Abu Ali Rida leads Unit Badr, one of Hezbollah's prominent military formations.

Earlier Monday, the Israeli military claimed in a statement that its air force "struck and eliminated Abu Ali Rida, the Hezbollah commander of the Baraachit area in southern Lebanon."

"Abu Ali Rida was responsible for planning and executing rocket and anti-tank missile attacks on IDF (army) troops and oversaw Hezbollah's activities in the area," it said.

That marks the second time Hezbollah has denied reports of Rida's death. In September, Israeli media, including Army Radio, reported his alleged assassination in Beirut's southern suburbs.

Israel has escalated its air campaign in Lebanon since late September against what it claims are Hezbollah targets in an escalation from year-long cross-border warfare between Israel and the Lebanese group since the start of Israel's brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip.

More than 3,000 people have been killed and nearly 13,500 injured in Israeli attacks since October 2023, according to Lebanese health authorities.

Israel expanded the conflict by launching an incursion into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1 this year.