5 killed in Israel by Hezbollah airstrike as IDF eliminates terrorist group's special forces commander

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Five people have died in a Hezbollah rocket attack in northern Israel on Thursday, one day after an Israel Defense Forces airstrike killed a commander within the terrorist group's special forces unit.

The Hezbollah attack in Metula – a town located along the Israel-Lebanon border – left an Israeli farmer and four foreign agricultural workers dead, while a fifth foreign worker was seriously injured, a local official told the TPS news agency.

The strike that eliminated Mustafa Ahmad Shahadi of Hezbollah's Radwan Forces was carried out near the city of Nabatieh, south of Beirut, according to the Israel Defense Forces. 

"Mustafa Ahmad Shahadi advanced numerous terror attacks against the State of Israel," the IDF said in a statement. "His targeting is part of the effort to degrade Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces' capabilities to direct and execute terror activities against IDF troops and communities in the northern border, in particular the ‘Conquer the Galilee’ plan." 

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Rescuers work at a site damaged in the aftermath of an Israeli strike in Sohmor, in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, on Wednesday, Oct. 30. (Reuters/Maher Abou Taleb)

Israel’s military has described the plan as Hezbollah’s "own October 7th massacre on Israel's northern border, but on an even larger scale." 

"Shahadi was previously responsible for the Radwan Forces' operations during combat in Syria between 2012 and 2017, and additionally oversaw terror attacks in southern Lebanon," the IDF also said. "The IDF will continue to operate against the terrorists and commanders of the Hezbollah terrorist organization and any threat posed to the citizens of Israel." 

Lebanon’s health ministry also said Wednesday that 19 people were killed by Israeli strikes near the city of Baalbek, including eight women. 

The IDF says it was carrying out strikes targeting "command and control centers and terrorist infrastructure that were used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization" in that region. 

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Smoke billows on Lebanon's side of the border with Israel on Thursday, Oct. 31. (Reuters/Violeta Santos Moura)

"Hezbollah systematically abuses civilian infrastructure and areas throughout Lebanon to plan and execute terrorist activities, deliberately endangering the lives of Lebanese civilians," according to the IDF. 

Prior to those strikes, the Israeli military had warned residents to evacuate their homes for their own safety. 

Damage is seen following Israeli airstrikes near the city of Baalbek, Lebanon, on Thursday, Oct. 31. (Reuters/Mohamed Azakir)

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"You are in a combat zone where the IDF intends to attack and target Hezbollah infrastructure, interests, installations and combat equipment and does not intend to harm you," IDF Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X.