An Israeli strike on south Lebanon on Monday killed a senior commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, three security sources told Reuters.

The security sources identified him as Wissam al-Tawil, the deputy head of a unit within the Radwan force. They said he and another Hezbollah fighter were killed when their car was hit in a strike on the Lebanese village of Majdal Selm.

“This is a very painful strike,” one of the security sources said. Another said, “things will flare up now.”

Israeli bombardment has killed more than 130 Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon since cross-border shelling began in the aftermath of Hamas’ attack on Israeli territory on October 7.

Another 19 have been killed in Syria.

Hezbollah’s secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel in two televised addresses last week not to launch a full-scale war on Lebanon.

“Whoever thinks of war with us - in one word, he will regret it,” Nasrallah said.