Lebanese group leader killed in Israeli strike south of Beirut: official

BEIRUT: A military leader of Jamaa Islamiya, a Lebanese Islamist group allied with Palestinian group Hamas, was killed Tuesday in an Israeli strike south of Beirut, a security official told AFP.

According to the Lebanese Civil Defence, “an Israeli drone targeted a car” near the coastal town of Damour, about 20 kilometres south of Beirut, and rescuers recovered a man’s body from the vehicle.

The security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the strike killed Hussein Atoui, a leader of Jamaa Islamiya’s armed wing, the Al-Fajr Forces.

The group is closely linked to both Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

It has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks against Israel during more than a year of cross-border hostilities, including two months of all-out war, before a November ceasefire.

Israel has regularly carried out strikes since the truce came into effect, and two unclaimed rocket attacks from Lebanon targeting Israel were reported on March 22 and 28.

The Lebanese army announced last week that it had arrested several Lebanese and Palestinians responsible for the shooting, which a security official said included three Hamas members.

Israel on Sunday said it killed two senior members of Hezbollah in a series of air strikes.