Since the ceasefire roughly a year ago, the group’s leaders insisted they had sealed the intelligence gaps that enabled Israel to eliminate nearly the entire upper command. Today’s strike proves the exact opposite. By targeting — and likely eliminating — one of the organization’s two remaining senior military chiefs, the IDF demonstrates that its intelligence reach remains precise, persistent, and deeply embedded.

If Hezbollah chooses to retaliate and slide into several days of fighting, it must reckon with the reality that Israel has preserved the very capabilities that devastated the group’s leadership in the previous round. Any escalation could expose more of Hezbollah’s surviving senior officials to the same fate, further weakening the Iranian-backed terror group at a time when it is already struggling to project strength.

NEWSRAEL: WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT