Jerusalem:

The Israeli army said Monday that the last commander responsible for funding the Lebanese Hezbollah group has been “eliminated” in Syria. The man, whose name was not released, headed the Iran-backed Hezbollah Unit 4400, which is “responsible for the transfers and amount of funds” to the group through Tehran’s oil sales, army spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a statement.

The commander was “eliminated” in Syria “a few hours ago,” he added.

The unit was previously led by Mohammed Jafar Ksir, also known as Sheikh Salah, Hagari said.

“He managed the terrorist organization’s main source of income for years until we eliminated him in a targeted attack on the capital (Beirut) in early October,” he said.

Earlier on Monday, the Syrian Defense Ministry announced the deaths of two people in an attack on a car in Damascus attributed to Israel.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that one attack targeted a non-Syrian man who was driving his car in a neighborhood where a memorial ceremony was being held for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed in Gaza by Israel last week became.

Unit 4400 is tasked with transporting Iranian oil to Syria, which is then sold in Lebanon.

Its value “is approximately tens of millions of dollars,” Hagari said.

Hamas ally Hezbollah has fired rockets daily into northern Israel in support of the Palestinian Islamist movement since the war was sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Israel, which has been waging a ground offensive for nearly a month to drive Hezbollah from its northern border, has stepped up its attacks on the Iran-backed group’s finances in recent days.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)