JERUSALEM (Reuters) – An Israeli strike in Lebanon’s Beqaa region has killed a member of a Lebanese militant group that has fired rockets across the southern border at Israel, the Israeli military and a security source said on Friday.
Israel’s military said in a statement on Friday that its air force “struck and eliminated Mosab Khalaf in the area of Meidoun in Lebanon,” saying he was a member of the Jama’a Islamiya group and had carried out attacks against Israel.
A security source in Lebanon confirmed that Khalaf was a local official in the group’s armed wing, the Fajr forces. The group has previously fired rockets at Israel.
It was the first time Israel has confirmed having targeted a member of the Jama’a Islamiya in Lebanon, although members of the group have been killed in strikes targeting members of Palestinian faction Hamas in Lebanon.
Hamas launched an attack on Israel in October that left 1,200 people dead and led to 253 being taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel responded with a military campaign on the Gaza Strip that has left more than 34,000 Palestinians dead.
In parallel, Hezbollah and Israel have been trading fire across Lebanon’s southern border. An Israeli strike killed two Hezbollah fighters on Friday, security sources in Lebanon said.
(Reporting by Jerualem and Beirut bureaus; Editing by Josie Kao)
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