IDF eliminates Hamas commander, destroys Hezbollah tunnel city, and drills with Greece in a 12-hour window of multi-front operations
The IDF eliminated a Hamas commander in Khan Younis and completed a massive operation against Hezbollah's underground infrastructure, while the Navy drilled…
IDF eliminates Hamas commander, destroys Hezbollah tunnel city, and drills with Greece in a 12-hour window of multi-front operations — Two days ago (Thursday), the IDF eliminated Muhammad Suleiman Bayouk, a commander in Hamas's military wing, in the Khan Younis area[^1]. This operation follows the elimination of Na'el Abu Ubeid, the commander of the Hamas Rafah Brigade, on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, in the Gaza Strip[^3]. The IDF stated that Abu Ubeid was involved in holding the bodies of soldiers Goldin and Nimrod Cohen[^3]. The timing of these operations suggests a sustained campaign against Hamas's military leadership in the southern Gaza Strip. About a month ago, the IDF completed a large-scale logistical operation to destroy Hezbollah's underground infrastructure on the Ali Taher ridge in southern Lebanon. The operation involved transporting 1,100 tons of sensitive explosives over more than 30 kilometers across the border. Walla's report frames this as a daring logistical feat, while the operation itself signals a shift from targeting Hezbollah's surface assets to dismantling its subterranean network—a task that requires not just intelligence but heavy engineering and precise demolition. In a separate development, the Israeli Navy and the Greek Navy held a joint exercise off the coast of Crete in early September 2026. Maariv reports that this exercise included an unusual request from the Israeli Navy to Greece, which has reportedly angered Turkish intelligence. The drill occurs against the backdrop of heightened tensions with Turkey, whose drone company Skydagger recently released a promotional video targeting an Israeli 'Merkava' tank[^5]. The contrast between the IDF's kinetic operations in Gaza and Lebanon and its diplomatic-military cooperation in the eastern Mediterranean illustrates the layered nature of Israel's defense posture. Likud loyalists pushed aside as coalition fraying intensifies — A month after the Likud primaries, five MKs who were among Netanyahu's most loyal supporters found themselves pushed to unrealistic spots on the party list. Ariel Kalner reached 47th place, Keti Shitrit 44th, Hanoch Milbitsky 38th, Osher Shekalim 65th, and N