“The commander was never subjected to any assassination attempt as the enemy claimed." JERUSALEM: Israel said it killed the southern Lebanon commander of Hezbollah’s aerial unit in an air strike on Tuesday, hours after it said he led an attack on an army headquarters base in northern Israel. Hezbollah later denied those claims, saying “the commander was never subjected to any assassination attempt as the enemy claimed,” in a statement on Tuesday. Israeli military chief spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Ali Hussein Barji had led dozens of drone attacks on Israel, as Israel and Hezbollah have been waging their deadliest hostilities in 17 years.