Israel killed a commander of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in an airstrike on southern Lebanon on Friday, further testing a ceasefire that halted last year's war between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah group.
Sidon, Lebanon © Mena Today
Israel killed a commander of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in an airstrike on southern Lebanon on Friday, further testing a ceasefire that halted last year's war between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah group.
The Israeli military said the targeted militant, Hassan Farhat, was behind a rocket attack on the city of Safed last year that killed and wounded several Israeli soldiers. It vowed to act against Hamas fighters "wherever they operate".
A security source said Farhat was killed along with his son and daughter in the strike in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon. Hamas' armed wing the al-Qassam Brigades said Farhat was assassinated in his apartment in Sidon, and praised his "blessed contributions" to the confrontation with Israel over the years.
Hamas and Hezbollah are allies, and Hezbollah launched a campaign of cross border strikes on Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian group in 2023. Israel responded with a major air and ground campaign in Lebanon last year that killed much of the Hezbollah leadership.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's office said Friday's Israeli attack was a clear violation of a U.S.-backed ceasefire which ended last year's war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The ceasefire has appeared increasingly precarious in recent weeks, with Israel striking the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut twice and rockets being fired on two occasions from Lebanon towards Israel.
Hezbollah has denied any role in the recent rocket fire.
Reporting by Tala Ramadan
Maronite Patriarch Béchara Raï reiterated his support Sunday for the US-brokered framework agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel in late June, describing it during his Sunday homily as a "national path to resolving outstanding issues, consolidating a just, comprehensive and lasting peace, and preserving the state's sovereignty over its entire territory."
US embassies in Jerusalem, Baghdad and Amman issued security alerts Saturday urging American citizens to exercise "heightened vigilance," as tensions flare between Iran and the United States. Americans were also told to "consider departing, or be prepared to depart should there be escalation."
President Donald Trump said Friday that Israel was "very happy" with an agreement reached by his so-called Board of Peace for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups in Gaza.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.