By Sanjeev Kumar Patro
Bhubaneswar: The war launched by Israel after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas entered its 380th day on Sunday. On the day 380, Hezbollah fired 100 rockets at Northern Israel after Israeli Air Forces (IAF) jets strike Intelligence HQ in Beirut (Lebanon capital).
This no-blinking war game is on. Only yesterday (Saturday), a drone attack was made on PM Netanyahu’s residence. Israel has charged Iran of trying to assassinate PM of Israel. PM Netanyahu hours after attack on his residence said, “Nothing will deter us, we will continue until our victory.”
Significantly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the anniversary of Hamas massacre (Oct 7, 2024) suggested a new name to the on-going war in a cabinet meeting – Swords of Iron. The war declared by Israel is now known in the country as the ‘The War of Revival’.
In this so-called intensely fought ‘War of Revival’, the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) seems to be in a marauding run. The IDF has unleashed a knock out game. Already 11 top leaders/officials neutralized. And the counting is on.
Here we bring you a list of top Hezbollah, Hamas and Iranian officials killed by IDF in 380days.
HEZBOLLAH: This Shiite Muslim political party and militant group based in Lebanon, it violently opposes Israel and the foreign powers operating in the Middle-East. USA and many other countries consider this organization a terrorist organization.
Israel dealt a deadly blow to the Hezbollahs in September 2024 when the IDF successfully eliminated Hezbollah’s top leader.
1) Hassan Nasrallah – The 64-year old Hezbollah chief had been killed in a series of strikes on the group’s underground headquarters in Dahieh, a place in southern part of the Lebanese capital Beirut in September this year. Hezbollah later confirmed his killing. It needs mentioning that in 2006, Nasrallah was also rumoured to have been killed during Israel’s last war with Hezbollah, but that proved a rumour gossip.
2) Ibrahim Qubaisi – a commander and leading figure in rocket division of Hezbollah, he was killed in the same airstrike unleashed by Israel on the southern suburbs of Beirut on September 24. He was charged with kidnapping and killing 3 Israeli soldiers in 2000.
3) Ibrahim Aqil – Operations commander in Hezbollah and had also served on the group’s top military body, was killed by an Israeli strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs on September 20. Aqil aliases Tahsin and Abdelqader, was a member of Hezbollah’s top military body, the Jihad Council. He was accused by the United States of playing a key role in two deadly bombings in Lebanon that killed hundreds.
4) Ahmed Wahbi – Top commander of Radwan Special Forces, which oversees the military operations in the Gaza war until early this year, was killed along with Aqil on September 30.
5) Fuad Shukr – Identified by the Israeli military as the right-hand man of Nasrallah, an Israeli strike on the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital on July 30 killed this top commander of Hezbollahs. He was the key figure since the establishment of Hezbollah by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Accused of playing the central role in the 1983 bombing of US marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 US soldiers, US has imposed sanctions on him in 2015.
6) Muhammed Nasser – also known as Hajj Abu Nimah, Nasser is leading a section of Hezbollah’s operations at the frontier with Israel. He was killed in an Israeli air strike on July 3 in Tyre, Lebanon. He was on Israel’s target for the firing incident from south Lebanon at Israel.
7) Taleb Abdallah – A senior Hezbollah field commander was killed on June 12 in a strike by Israel. He was Hezbollah’s commander for the central region of the southern border strip and was of the same rank as Nasser. The killing of Taleb saw retaliatory fire of heavy barrage of rockets on Israel.
HAMAS: First came to the scene in 1987 during the first Palestinian uprising or Intifada. It has been the de facto governing body of the Gaza strip since 2007, after ousting the Palestinian Authority from power. In 2017, it amended its charter that removed the call for destruction of Israel. However, it doesn’t recognize Israel as a state and continue to espouse all resistances against the country.
Post the Oct 7, 2023 massacre in Israel undertaken by Hamas, Israel has launched an all out operation against the Hamas. The operation saw many top heads rolling down. Here is the list.
1) Yahya Sinwar: He is the supreme leader of Hamas and was the chief architect of the deadly Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel. He was killed during a military operation in southern Gaza on October 17. A tank shell fired at the bbuilding where he was hiding killed him that dealt a body blow to the Hamas organisation organisationally.
2) Mohammad Deif –He is Yahya Sinwar’s closest aide. Israel fighter jet attack in the area of Khan Younis in Gaza killed Deif on July 13.It was an intel operation conducted by IDF. Deif had survived seven Israel assassination attempts. He was one of the founders of the Hamas’s military wing the Qassam Brigades – believed to be the masterminds of the October 7 attack on southern Israel on the eve of the Gaza war. He was tasked with training Hamas’ elite Nukhba forces.
3) Ismail Haniyeh – He was killed by a missile hit on a state guest house in the early hours of July 31 in Iran. He was found dead in the state guest house bedroom. But Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack. He was the chairman of the Hamas guiding council.
4) Saleh al-Arouri – Founder of Hamas military wing – the Qassam Brigades, was killed in an Israeli drone strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs of Dahiyeh on Jan 2, 2024. The 57-year old was the Deputy Hamas chief. He is key man in the group’s financial operations.
5) Marwan Issa: Killed in an airstrike in March this year. He is considered a key member of the group’s core group that had planned the Oct 7, 2023 lethal massacre. Issa had been targeted when moving between locations and unaccompanied by hostages.
IRANIAN TOP TOLL
1) Mohammad Reza Zahedi – He had been a senior commander in the elite Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. An Israeli air strike in April on Iranian consulate killed him.
2) Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi – He was deputy to senior commander Mohammed Reza Zahedi in IRGP. He was killed in the same Israeli air strike in April that destroyed the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
