Hezbollah's envoy to Syrian military killed in airstrike, says Israel

Salman Nemer Jamaa, who served as Hezbollah’s envoy to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, was killed in an airstrike, according to the Israeli military

An F-35 Adir from Squadron 140 takes part in an Israeli air force show during the graduation ceremony for soldiers who have completed the IAF Flight Course, at the Hatzerim Air Base in the Negev Desert, June 29, 2023. File Image / X

Hezbollah’s envoy to the Syrian military, Salman Nemer Jamaa, has been killed in an airstrike, said the Israeli military in a statement on Tuesday (December 3).

Israel conducted the airstrike despite the ceasefire with Hezbollah. Even though the truce between the two sides has broadly lasted so far, the continued exchange of fire between the two sides has put its longevity into question.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in a post on X (formerly Twitter) said that Jamaa was killed in an intelligence-based strike.

Even though the IDF did not say where Jamaa was killed, The Jerusalem Post reported that the airstrike was conducted in Syrian capital Damascus.

Hezbollah and the Syrian regime of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad are allies. They have supported each-other in their conflicts. While Hezbollah has provided fighters and advisers to the Assad’s regime in the Syrian Civil War, Hezbollah has also found strategic depth inside Syria where it is known to maintain bases and use the country to transfer weapons.

The IDF said that Jamaa was a senior Hezbollah terrorist who held various positions in Iran-backed terrorist group over the past years, particularly in the Syrian arena.

Prior to serving as the envoy to Assad’s military, Jamaa had served as the Head of Intelligence in the Khiam arena and as the Head of Operations in Hezbollah’s Damascus command center, according to the IDF.

As part of his role, Jamaa was responsible for coordinating between Hezbollah operatives and the Syrian military, including supporting weapons smuggling from Syria to Hezbollah including during the ‘Swords of Iron’ war, said the IDF.

The Swords of Iron is the name of the military operation that Israel launched against Hamas following the October 7 attack.

Both Israel and Hezbollah have accused each-other of initiating ceasefire violations. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has warned the Lebanese government that if the truce with Hezbollah breaks down, Israel would not distinguish between the Lebanese state and Hezbollah and would be at war with Lebanon as a whole. So far, Israel has been fighting Hezbollah, which essentially runs a state within a state in Lebanon, and not the regular Lebanese military.