Jerusalem, Aug 16 : An Israeli airstrike killed a senior commander in Hezbollah's Badr regional division in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military said Sunday. Lebanese media reported that at least four people were killed in the attack.

The Israeli military said in a statement that Abu Hassan Alaa was killed late on Saturday in the strike on Deir al-Zahrani. It described the attack as "a response" to an earlier Hezbollah drone strike targeting Israeli troops in southern Lebanon that wounded three soldiers.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said Israeli warplanes struck a two-story building, killing at least four people and wounding five.

Also on Saturday, seven people were killed in heavy Israeli airstrikes on the southern village of Ansar, one of the deadliest Israeli attacks since a ceasefire was reached in 2024.

Earlier on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that it killed a commander in Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force during overnight strikes in southern Lebanon.

The IDF said the militant was identified as Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan, a battalion commander in the unit.

It added that he was struck in a Hezbollah headquarters in the town of Ansar, Nabatieh District, in response to a Hezbollah attack against Israeli forces operating in the "security zone."

In a separate statement, the Israeli prime minister's office said three Israeli soldiers were seriously injured in the Hezbollah attack.

"The IDF responded by striking the Hezbollah terror headquarters which ordered the attack," it read.

The Israeli military said several other militants involved in planning and advancing attacks against its soldiers were also killed. Hassan's family was also present inside the headquarters at the time of the strike, it added.

Meanwhile, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) spokesperson Kandice Ardiel has said that an international presence in southern Lebanon remains important.

Ardiel noted that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has presented three options to the UN Security Council for consideration.

Ardiel said UNIFIL peacekeepers remain present in southern Lebanon and continue supporting the parties in implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which she said remains the cornerstone of stability in southern Lebanon.

Ardiel said UNIFIL also continues to support efforts to strengthen the presence of the Lebanese army and extend state authority in the south.

/IANS