ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Thursday that it has killed 800 Hezbollah fighters since a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect in mid-April.
“Approximately 2,500 Hezbollah terrorists have been eliminated since the beginning of Operation 'Lion's Roar,' 800 of them since the ceasefire took effect,” the IDF said, adding that the total includes the “elimination of several of Hezbollah's most senior field commanders.”
The war between Iran and the US-Israel alliance, which began on February 28, spilled across the Middle East and drew several Iran-aligned groups into the confrontation. Hezbollah - widely seen as Tehran’s most powerful regional ally - launched rockets, drones, and missiles toward northern Israel from early March, opening what analysts described as a second front in the conflict.
Iranian officials have repeatedly insisted that the ceasefire Tehran reached with Washington on April 8 also included Lebanon.
Israel and Lebanon held their first high-level direct peace talks in more than 30 years in mid-April, with the United States, which mediated the meeting, describing the discussions as “productive.”
Following US-brokered talks in mid-May, the two countries agreed to extend their ceasefire by 45 days to work toward a permanent agreement. The Pentagon is set to host military delegations on May 29 to establish a parallel security track ahead of formal political talks scheduled for June 2 and 3.
Ending Israeli attacks on Lebanon has been a key sticking point in the Pakistan-brokered ceasefire between Iran and the United States. Washington and Tel Aviv argue that Hezbollah - an Iranian-backed group - was not included in the scope of the agreement, while Tehran maintains the opposite.