An Israeli air strike on Wednesday killed Mahran Ali Nasr al-Din, a senior operative within Hezbollah’s Unit 4400. The strike occurred near the town of Al-Qusayr, situated along the Lebanese-Syrian border.
According to a statement from the Israeli Defense Forces, (IDF) Unit 4400 serves as Hezbollah’s weapons acquisition and transfer division, primarily responsible for smuggling arms into Lebanon from Iran and its affiliates. The IDF added that since its inception in 2000, the unit has established multiple smuggling routes along the Syria-Lebanon border to bolster Hezbollah’s arsenal.
“Mahran Ali Nasser Al-Din played a significant role in Hezbollah’s weapons smuggling operations, and he was directly involved in coordinating with smugglers operating along the Syria-Lebanon border,” the IDF added.
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Footage captures the moment Israeli aircraft targeted Hezbollah terrorist Maher Ali Nasr al-Din, a key figure in the Armament and Combat Equipment Transfer Unit (4400), on a road in Al-Qusra, north of Hermel, near the Lebanese-Syrian border earlier today, killing a… pic.twitter.com/LLSTHvnvPg
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) February 26, 2025
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) confirmed in its report that an Israeli drone conducted another airstrike in Hermel. “An enemy drone targeted a vehicle on the Hermel-Qasr road, leaving one dead and one wounded,” the news outlet said.
Hezbollah has yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident.
A drone strike targeted a vehicle on the Hosh Al-Sayyed Ali – Al-Qasr road, north of Hermel. One person killed, likely a Hezbollah militant assassinated. pic.twitter.com/FKQsBqAtpS
— Beirut Wire (@beirutwire) February 26, 2025
The recent Israeli operation is part of a broader Israeli campaign aimed at disrupting Hezbollah’s supply chains and preventing the group from replenishing its weapons stockpiles.
In recent months, the IDF has intensified strikes targeting Unit 4400’s infrastructure and leadership, including the elimination of the unit’s former commander, Muhammad Jafar Qasir, and his successor, Ali Hassan Gharib.
The recent airstrikes follow Tuesday’s IDF attack on a Hezbollah facility in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, which was used for the production and storage of “strategic weapons.” The strike followed intelligence indicating that Hezbollah operatives were present and actively operating within the facility, according to the IDF.
