IDF says it eliminated Hezbollah liaison officer in southern Lebanon village
The military says the operative helped conceal weapons and obstruct Lebanese army action in Yanouh
The Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday it struck and killed Abu Ali Salameh, a Hezbollah liaison officer, in the village of Yanouh in southern Lebanon. According to the IDF, Salameh managed Hezbollah activity in the village and was involved in efforts to embed the group’s infrastructure within civilian areas.
In a statement, the IDF said Salameh “served as a Hezbollah liaison officer in the village of Yanouh” and worked to enable the group to operate “within the civilian environment and private properties in the village,” including by embedding “terrorist infrastructure within the heart of the population.”
The military said Salameh played a key role during an incident on December 13, 2025, after the IDF requested enforcement action against a Hezbollah weapons storage site in Yanouh. According to the statement, Salameh received notice of the request from the Lebanese Armed Forces and passed it on to other Hezbollah operatives.
The IDF said that when Lebanese troops arrived at the site, Hezbollah operatives blocked their efforts by creating a gathering that allowed weapons to be removed from the property. “Upon the arrival of the Lebanese Armed Forces, Hezbollah terrorists prevented them from dismantling the infrastructure by creating a gathering that enabled Hezbollah to move the weapons out of the property,” the statement said.
According to the IDF, Salameh later coordinated with the Lebanese Armed Forces to document the site without the weapons present, “thereby claiming that the site was empty.” The military added that during the activity, “several suspicious boxes were removed from the rear door of the property.”
The IDF said Salameh’s actions “constitute a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon” and added that it “will continue to act to remove any threat and to defend the State of Israel.”
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