Hezbollah has been expanding its use of drones to target Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon [Getty]
A Hezbollah drone attack in southern Lebanon on Wednesday seriously injured an Israeli military commander from the army unit identified as responsible for the killing of six-year-old Hind Rajab in Gaza City.
Colonel Meir Biderman, 41, is a commander within Israel’s 401st Armoured Brigade, which has been operating in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire reached between the two countries in April. In March, he spoke on Israeli television claiming that Hezbollah had been “severely weakened” and would “pay a heavy price”.
The drone attack also injured two other soldiers, with the military evacuating all three to a hospital in Haifa for treatment. According to Israeli media reports, Biderman suffered a serious head injury in the attack but has since regained full consciousness and his condition is stable.
He reportedly took over his role as commander after his predecessor was killed by an explosive device in Jabalia, northern Gaza, at the onset of Israel’s war in October 2023.
Links to Hind Rajab killing
The 401st Armoured Brigade was found to have been responsible for the murder of six-year-old Hind Rajab, six members of her family, and two paramedics who tried to save her in Gaza City in January 2024.
According to Dyab Abou Jahjah, founder of the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), the same brigade is also responsible for storming al-Shifa Hospital and for having “terrorised” Rafah.
HRF has gathered evidence against the self-proclaimed “Vampire Empire Company” of the 52nd Armoured Battalion – known as “Ha-Bok’im” or “The Breachers” – a military unit operating under the 401st Armoured Brigade, in a 120-page file submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
The findings directly name Colonel Beni Aharon, commander of the 401st Armoured Brigade; Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Ella, commander of the 52nd Armoured Battalion; and Major Sean Glass, commander of the Vampire Empire Company. They also identify 22 other crew members “alleged to have participated in or facilitated the attack”.
In a statement to The New Arab, the foundation said that although they were unable to comment on whether Colonel Biderman is among the names submitted confidentially to the ICC, he has been confirmed as a fighter within the same military unit. They added that “developments affecting individuals connected to the complaint do not alter our commitment to accountability efforts.”
The latest attack comes as Hezbollah drones appear to be a growing concern for the Israeli war campaign in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military has been reducing daytime movement along the border due to an increase in Hezbollah attacks, with most operations now carried out at night with reduced visibility.
The group’s explosive drones have limited around 80% of Israeli forces’ operations in southern Lebanon, according to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, severely restricting the army’s freedom of movement and inflicting battlefield losses.
