A Senior Hamas Official Killed in Israeli Airstrike in Lebanon

In an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle near the city of Sidon in southern Lebanon, a senior official of the extremist group Hamas named Samer Mahmoud al-Hajj was killed on Friday evening, August 19. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. The Israeli army and the country's internal security service (Shin Bet) confirmed the death of Samer Mahmoud al-Hajj in a joint statement, referring to him as 'responsible for directing attacks against Israel' and 'commander of Hamas forces in Ain al-Hilweh.' The Ain al-Hilweh camp is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, located on the outskirts of Sidon. The port city of Sidon is about 60 kilometers from the Lebanon-Israel border, and reports indicate that this is the first Israeli attack on this city since the onset of the Gaza war. Reuters reported, citing three sources, that during the attack on Friday evening, Samer al-Hajj's bodyguard was also seriously injured. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, border clashes between Israel and Lebanon have continued almost daily, with Hezbollah pursuing drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel. During this time, the Israeli army has repeatedly reported targeting positions from which fire was conducted and has mentioned operations further from the border areas, eliminating senior officials of Hezbollah, Hamas, and other militants in Lebanon. For instance, last December, Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy head of Hamas's political bureau, was killed in an Israeli attack in the suburbs of Beirut. On Tuesday evening, August 1, Fawad Shukr, the highest military commander of Hezbollah, was killed in southern Beirut. A few hours later, Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, who was visiting Tehran, was also killed. The Islamic Republic and its supported proxy groups have threatened to take revenge on Israel.