An Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon on Thursday morning killed a Hamas commander, the Israel Defense Forces said.
Both Hamas, the Gaza Strip-based Palestinian terror group, and al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya, or Islamic Group, a Lebanese terror group, claimed Muhammed Jabara as a member and a commander.
Jabara, from the Lebanese town of Qaraoun, was struck while driving in the village of Ghazzeh, in the Western Beqaa District, around 40 kilometers (24 miles) from the Israeli border.
In a statement, the IDF confirmed striking Jabara, saying he was a Hamas commander responsible for advancing and carrying out attacks, including rocket fire, on northern Israel.
Jabara’s killing was a blow to the ability of Hamas to carry out attacks against Israel, the IDF added.
The IDF said Jabara worked alongside al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya, which had also claimed him as a member.
Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya, like Hamas, is a Sunni faction that forms part of the broader Muslim Brotherhood political network. The armed wing of the group, the al-Fajr Forces, has repeatedly targeted Israel from Lebanon in the current war, often working in conjunction with the Shiite Hezbollah terror group.
Separately on Thursday, Lebanese media reported another Israeli airstrike on a vehicle. The second strike was reported near the village of Jabal al-Botm in southern Lebanon.
Another strike was reported near the town of Ain al-Tineh, in the Western Beqaa District, around 25 kilometers from the Israeli border.
No further details were immediately available.
The IDF did not immediately comment on the additional attacks.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
So far, the skirmishes have resulted in 12 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 17 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 367 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 67 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have been killed.
Israel has warned that it can no longer tolerate Hezbollah’s presence along its border, with tens of thousands of Israelis displaced from their homes in the north due to the rocket and drone attacks, and has warned that, should a diplomatic solution not be reached, it will turn to military action to push Hezbollah northward.
While the political leadership has not yet made a decision on launching an offensive in Lebanon and turning the Gaza Strip into the secondary front, the IDF has said it continues to target Hezbollah commanders who were behind attacks on Israel.