Israeli strike kills senior Hamas figure in south Lebanon

Fears of a major escalation in southern Lebanon grew on Friday as separate Israeli attacks killed two Hezbollah and two Hamas members.

One of the Hamas members was Samer Al-Hajj, the group’s security official in the Ain Al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, who was killed when the car he was in was hit by a missile launched from an Israeli drone. The incident occurred in Sidon, 44 kilometers from Beirut, and was the first time the town has been targeted.

Two Hezbollah members were killed in an earlier attack on Naquora.

Hostilities continued on Friday as the Lebanese government — in which Hezbollah is also represented — welcomed a joint statement from the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and the US.

The statement emphasized “the need to put an immediate end to the suffering of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, reach a ceasefire, and conclude an agreement to release hostages and detainees.”

It also called on the two parties to the conflict “to resume urgent discussions to overcome the remaining obstacles to reaching the desired agreement.”

Lebanon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “what the trilateral statement included embodies Lebanon’s vision to diffuse tension in the region and avoid an all-out regional war according to a basic first step, which is the immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2735, which is based on the initiative of US President Joe Biden.”

It stressed “the need to exert maximum pressure on Israel to oblige it to sit at the negotiating table and implement UN Security Council Resolution 2735 without delay.”

The Lebanese statement came as the Israeli Broadcasting Authority announced that “residents of the towns on the border with Lebanon are required to remain near safe areas until further notice.”

Also on Friday, Israeli drones were seen flying over border villages, including Yahoun, Kounine and Bint Jbeil, using loudspeakers to broadcast provocative messages in Arabic against Hezbollah and its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, prompting armed people to respond by firing machine guns at them.

The government in Cyprus declared “its readiness to help evacuate European civilians from Lebanon.”

The US Embassy in Beirut reiterated in a statement on Friday that it “encourages those who wish to depart Lebanon to book any ticket available to them, even if that flight does not depart immediately or does not follow their first-choice route.”

It recommended that “US citizens who choose not to depart Lebanon prepare contingency plans for emergencies and be prepared to shelter in place for an extended period.”

The fear of the conflict expanding in the Middle East has led more airlines to suspend their flights to Lebanon, including Air Algerie and Air India.

Royal Jordanian resumed flights to Beirut after having suspended them since July 29.

Britain advised airlines in the UK “not to enter Lebanese airspace from Aug. 8 until Nov. 4,” citing “a potential risk to aviation from military activity.”

On the first day of the 11th month of ongoing hostilities, more Israeli assassinations of Hezbollah field cadres were reported after further Israeli breaches of Lebanese airspace, as well as its ability to infiltrate landline and cell calls and the internet network.

Hezbollah announced the death of Mehdi Mahmoud Ksaibani, 30, from Harouf, and Hadi Jihad Deeb, 27, from Bafliyeh, southern Lebanon, who died in an Israeli raid on Naqoura on Friday morning.

Israel on Thursday night and Friday morning targeted Aita Al-Shaab and a house in Hanaouay. The house was empty, but five civilians in nearby houses were injured, according to the Ministry of Health.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said that Israel’s target was “Hezbollah’s command headquarters in Hanaouay and infrastructure in Aita Al-Shaab.”

A Lebanese security source said Hezbollah responded with a series of attacks that were limited to “Israeli military, strategic and logistical bases, in response to specific Israeli attacks, while avoiding civilian targets.

Israel’s Army Radio reported “several attacks on the (Kiryat Shmona) settlement,” adding that “the last salvo included 10 rockets launched from Lebanon toward the settlement.”

Israeli media outlets said that five explosions were heard and that a missile landed in Kiryat Shmona.

Hezbollah said that it bombed “the command headquarters of the 769th Brigade in the Kiryat Shmona barracks with a salvo of Katyusha rockets, in response to Israel’s attacks on Hanaouay.” It also targeted a “gathering of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of Metula with missile weapons.”

In response to the attack on Naqoura, Hezbollah launched a squadron of precision drones on the command headquarters of the coastal battalion belonging to the newly established Western Brigade in Liman, “targeting the positions and concentrations of its officers and soldiers.”

The group said that “it hit its targets accurately and inflicted confirmed casualties.”

Hezbollah attacked the “Al-Sammaqa site in the occupied Lebanese Kfarchouba Hills with rocket weapons” and “a building used by soldiers in the Manara settlement.”

Israeli airstrikes hit the town of Tallouseh in the Marjeyoun district, coinciding with artillery shelling on the city.