*Hezbollah Open To Ceasefire, Ready To Keep Fighting– Deputy Leader
THE Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday morning, October 8, said they had killed Suhail Hussein Husseini, Commander of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant organisation, at its headquarters.
According to a statement issued by the IDF, the Israeli Air Force conducted a “precise, intelligence-based strike in the area of Beirut” that killed Husseini, whose headquarters oversees logistics within Hezbollah and was in charge of budgeting and management of the various units in the organisation and played a crucial role in weapon transfers between Iran and Hezbollah.
IDF said Husseini was responsible for distributing advanced weaponry among Hezbollah’s units, overseeing both the transportation and allocation of these arms and was also a member of the Jihad Council, Hezbollah’s senior military leadership council.
The statement said the headquarters included Hezbollah’s Research and Development Unit, which is responsible for manufacturing precision-guided missiles and managing the storage and transportation of weapons in Lebanon.
In his role, Husseini, it noted, was responsible for the budgeting and logistical management of Hezbollah’s most sensitive projects, including the organisation’s war plans, and also engaged in other special operations, such as coordinating attacks against Israel from Lebanon and Syria.
In northern Gaza, IDF said at least 20 armed Palestinian fighters had also been eliminated.
In the Jabalia region, where troops launched a new ground offensive on Sunday, October 6, it said weapons caches were also raided, with air support provided to ground forces, adding that there was ongoing fighting in central and southern Gaza.
The information could, however, not be independently verified.
Recall that on October 7, last year, militants from the Islamist Hamas and other groups from Gaza carried out a brutal massacre in Israel that killed over 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 hostages.
In response, Israel initiated a ground offensive aimed at dismantling Hamas.
According to Palestinian and United Nations (UN) figures, about 42,000 people have died since then. These figures do not differentiate between fighters and civilians and are difficult to verify.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah has expressed openness to a ceasefire with Israel.
Its deputy leader, Naim Qassem, said in a televised speech, that the Iranian-backed organisation supported a corresponding initiative by the parliamentary Speaker, Nabih Berri, threatening at the same time: “If the enemy continues its war, the field will decide.
“We will not beg for a solution. We will continue, we will make sacrifices.”
He said he trusted Berri, who is considered an ally of Hezbollah, in the negotiations over a possible ceasefire.
Berri has been talking with Arab and foreign officials visiting Lebanon since last week.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military continued its airstrikes and ground offensive in Lebanon, while Hezbollah also fired dozens of rockets at Israel.
