An Israeli drone strike in northern Lebanon’s Hermel District on Thursday killed a Hezbollah operative involved in arms procurement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Friday.
The target, Mohammed Mahdi Ali Shaheen, was described as a senior member of Hezbollah’s Geographical Unit, which oversees operations in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley.
The IDF stated that Shaheen played a crucial role in coordinating weapons purchases and smuggling arms across the Syria-Lebanon border, even after the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon came into effect.
جيش الاحتلال يعلن هلاك
محمد مهدي علي شاهين
وهو من قيادات #حزب_الله_الارهابي البائد
استهدف بغارة على #الهرمل شرق #لبنان pic.twitter.com/hidWaSMMYw— علي الزمامي الدوسري (@dzama44) February 28, 2025
According to the IDF, Shaheen was responsible for negotiating arms deals, facilitating shipments, and ensuring the distribution of weapons to Hezbollah units. “As part of his role, Shaheen was responsible for making purchase deals for Hezbollah and mediating the arrival of shipments for distribution to various units, contributing to the terror group’s military buildup,” the military said in a statement. The IDF stated that his activities posed a direct threat to Israel’s security and constituted a violation of the existing understandings between Israel and Lebanon.
The strike on Shaheen follows another IDF drone operation on Wednesday in northeastern Lebanon, which targeted and killed Mahran Ali Nasser al-Din, a high-ranking member of Hezbollah’s Unit 4400.
According to the IDF, Unit 4400 is responsible for smuggling weapons into Lebanon from Iran and its regional proxies, establishing multiple arms trafficking routes along the Syria-Lebanon border. “The unit was responsible for smuggling weapons into Lebanese territory from Iran and its proxies, aiming to maximize Hezbollah’s weapons stockpiles,” the IDF said in its statement.
⚡️🚨الجيش الإسرائيلي:🚨⚡️
نفذت طائرة تابعة لسلاح الجو، في وقت سابق اليوم، غارة أسفرت عن اغتيال مهـران علي ناصر الدين، وهو عنصر بارز في وحدة التعزيز ونقل الأسلحة (الوحدة 4400) التابعة لحزب الله. pic.twitter.com/2X1yOdDuRI
— رؤى لدراسات الحرب (@Roaastudies) February 26, 2025
Tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border have been escalating in recent weeks, with the IDF intensifying operations against Hezbollah’s arms transfers. Israeli officials have repeatedly warned that the continued smuggling of weapons from Syria to Lebanon threatens regional stability and will be met with military action.
