An Israeli airstrike killed a top leader in the unit responsible for rockets and missiles launched by Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon, officials with the Israeli Defense Forces said Friday.

The man killed was Ali Abed Akhsan Naim, a deputy commander in Hezbollah considered a “significant source of knowledge” for the terror group, especially in the field of rockets, said the IDF, which noted he was in the southern Lebanese town of Bazouriye at the time of the airstrike.

“He was also one of the leaders for heavy-warhead rocket fire and responsible for conducting and planning attacks against Israeli civilians,” the IDF said Friday on the Telegram social messaging site.

Syrian sources earlier said an Israeli airstrike killed five Hezbollah members south of Aleppo, along with several military personnel and civilians. The IDF declined to comment, according to the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank.

“The Israelis have been warning Lebanon, and anyone else listening, that Hezbollah is playing with fire,” said Mark Dubowitz, the FDD’s CEO. “For now, Israel has been dousing the flames at the edges with high-quality attacks on key figures in the terrorist group.”

By Hezbollah’s own account, the terror outfit has lost some 250 fighters to Israeli retaliatory strikes, Mr. Dubowitz said.

Hezbollah refused international calls to cease its attacks on Israel and pull back from the Lebanon-Israel border, prompting increased speculation that the exchange of fire between Hezbollah and the IDF could spiral into a full-blown war, even as Israel continues its operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.