A prominent Hezbollah operative in the terror group's air defense array was killed in a drone strike

A prominent Hezbollah operative in the terror group's air defense array was killed in a drone strike in southern Lebanon earlier today, the military says.

Hassan Atwi was killed alongside his wife in a strike targeting their car in Zebdine, on the outskirts of Nabatieh.

The IDF says Atwi was a "significant source of knowledge" in Hezbollah, and led efforts to rebuild infrastructure and procure equipment for the air defense array. The military says he also maintained contacts with Iranian officials who supplied Hezbollah with air defense systems.

According to Lebanese media, Atwi was blind due to Israel's so-called pager attack that targeted Hezbollah members last year.

The IDF says Atwi's activities "constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon," and his killing was a blow to Hezbollah's efforts to re-establish itself.