Gallant: 50% of Hezbollah commanders in south Lebanon killed, other half hiding

HEZBOLLAH MEMBERS hold flags during a rally marking the annual Hezbollah Martyrs’ Day, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, last month

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday told the IDF Northern Command that they had succeeded in eliminating half of Hezbollah’s commanders in southern Lebanon.

The Jerusalem Post clarified that he was referring to brigade-level commanders as opposed to battalion-level commanders.

Recently, the IDF said that it had killed six Hezbollah brigade-level commanders and over 30 battalion-level commanders.

Hezbollah: Five brigade commanders for 35,000-40,000 forces

Hamas has five brigade commanders for about 35,000-40,000 of its forces.

Yoav Gallant. April 24, 2024 (credit: MAARIV)

Yoav Gallant. April 24, 2024 (credit: MAARIV)

Hezbollah is estimated to have between 50,000-100,000 forces when adding together its various weaker militias as well as its elite Radwan force, which had around 6,000 fighters in southern Lebanon alone at the start of the war in October 2023.

This could translate into 10 or 15 brigade-level commanders, with at least one source telling the Jerusalem Post that the number hovers around 15.

However, another source said that Hezbollah is structured differently than Hamas and that its Radwan forces have their own separate structure from the rest of Hezbollah.

The Post was also told that the specific rank of brigade commander for Hezbollah might be less important than unique individuals who are less replaceable as commanders versus individuals who may have just risen up the ranks over time as a function of seniority and years of service.

But roughly speaking, the IDF has killed a significant number of Hezbollah senior commanders, along with another 30 more junior commanders (if Hamas had 24 battalion commanders, presumably Hezbollah has at least between 50-75), while still not a majority.