The Israeli military said it had killed a Hamas commander in southern Lebanon in a drone attack on Wednesday.
“The IDF struck an area in Sidon and eliminated the terrorist Khalid Ahmad Ahmad, who served as the head of operations in Hamas’ Western Brigade in Lebanon,’’ the military said.
It added that the targeted Hamas operative had smuggled weapons and carried out terrorist attacks against Israel.
Hamas had confirmed the attack, saying it was mourning Ahmad, who it described as a lead engineer.
It said he was killed while on his way to perform the dawn prayer in the coastal city of Sidon, 40 kilometres south of the capital Beirut.
Since late November, a fragile ceasefire has been in place between Israel and Hezbollah, the Hamas-allied militia in Lebanon, but both sides accuse each other of violations.
In spite of the ceasefire, Israel reserves the right to continue attacking militia targets in Lebanon. (dpa/NAN)
