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Israel assassinated a senior commander of the Palestinian Hamas Movement in the coastal Lebanese city of Sidon early on April 4.
Lebanese media reported that a strike hit an apartment in Sidon where the commander, Hassan Farhat. At least two other people were killed alongside him. Footage from the scene of the strike showed the targeted apartment in flames, with smoke pouring out of it. The other floors of the building appear to be relatively unscathed.
Farhat headed Hamas’s forces in the western sector of Lebanon, according to a statement released later by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
During the war, the military said, Farhat advanced numerous attacks on Israeli civilians and troops, and was responsible for a rocket attack on the Northern Command base in Safed on February 14 of last year that killed Staff Sergeant Omer Sarah Benjo and wounded other troops.
“The terrorist was involved in advancing terror attacks against the State of Israel in recent months, and his activities constituted a threat to the State of Israel and its citizens,” the military said.
Overnight, other Israeli strikes hit the areas of Naqoura, Nabatieh and Wadi Azza in southern Lebanon. However, no casualties were reported there.
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Hamas is a close ally to Hezbollah. The Lebanese group was the first to come to Hamas aid after the October 7 surprise attack of 2023. It began conducting operations against the IDF from Lebanon in support of the Gaza Strip just a day after the attack. After taking heavy losses, the group agreed to a ceasefire.
The ceasefire, which was brokered by the United States last November, was supposed to end all clashes on the Israeli-Lebanese border by February 18. However, the IDF continues to launch strikes against Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah and its allies. It also continues to deploy troops at five strategic posts in the south of the country.
In February, an IDF strike killed senior Hamas commander Mohammad Shahin in Sidon. Israel accused him of plotting and advancing terror attacks from Lebanon against Israeli civilians, with Iranian funding and guidance.
Another strike that targeted the capital, Beirut on April 1, claimed the life of Hassan Bdair, a senior intelligence commander of Hezbollah.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem warned in a recent speech that if Israel continues to carry out strikes in Lebanon, and the Lebanese government does not act to stop it, then the group will take matters into its own hands. However, the group and its allies are yet to take action.
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