Israel Reports Another Hamas Commander Killed in Lebanon Amid Escalating Tensions
© Sputnik / Mikhail Voskresenskiy
/ Subscribe
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - An Israeli drone struck a car at the entrance to the Palestinian camp of Ain Al-Hilweh near the city of Sidon in southern Lebanon, killing one of the commanders of the Hamas movement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Friday.
Earlier in the day, a source told Sputnik that the Hamas commander was killed in the Israeli strike.
"A short while ago ... IAF aircraft struck in the area of Sidon in Lebanon, and eliminated the terrorist Samer Mahmoud al-Haj, a senior commander in the Hamas terrorist organization in Lebanon, who was responsible for advancing terror attacks and projectile launches from Lebanon toward Israeli territory," the IDF said in a joint statement with the Israel Securities Authority (ISA).
Israel carried out dual assassinations last week of leaders of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah and the Palestinian movement Hamas in Beirut and Tehran, respectively. Iran and Hezbollah are expected to launch retaliatory attacks on Israel.
NBC News reported, citing an unnamed Israeli official, that the Jewish state was preparing for a potential prolonged attack by both Hamas and Hezbollah, keen to avenge the deaths of their leaders.
The situation on the Israeli-Lebanese border escalated after Israel started hostilities in Gaza in October 2023. The Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah fighters conduct attacks almost daily on each other's positions in areas along the border.
