IDF forces killed 26 Hizbullah operatives on Friday during an intense firefight in the southern Lebanon village of Bint Jbail. Soldiers operating in the village found and confiscated dozens of guns and rifles, stocks of ammunition, grenades, mines, and five anti-tank missiles. Meanwhile, the IDF confirmed that an unmanned drone crashed in Lebanese territory on Friday. The army denied the claim made by Al-Manar, saying that its patron Hizbullah shot down the craft. Israel asserted that the cause of the crash was most likely technical problems. The IDF destroyed the remains of the craft so that it would not fall into Hizbullah hands, Israel Radio reported.
Earlier Friday, the IDF confirmed that Nur Shalhov, a senior Hizbullah official who was responsible for smuggling weapons into Lebanon, including the long-range missile array the organization possesses that can reach deep into Israel, was killed Thursday in an IAF strike. Shalhov was hit by IAF missiles while traveling in a car in the Bekaa Valley, and a number of other Hizbullah operatives were also killed in the attack. The car was packed with missiles when it was hit.