Hamas says its commander in Lebanon assassinated in Israeli airstrike

By Moustafa Haboush

LEBANON (AA) - The Palestinian movement Hamas said Monday that Israel assassinated its commander in Lebanon in an airstrike that hit his home in the El-Buss refugee camp in southern Lebanon.

In a statement, Hamas said: “We mourn the martyrdom of Fateh Sharif, Hamas commander in Lebanon and member of the movement’s leadership abroad.”

Sharif as well as his wife Umayya Ibrahim Abdel Hamid, his son Amin, and his daughter Wafa were killed in the airstrike on Monday morning, the statement said.

Earlier, Lebanon’s official news agency reported that Israeli aircraft targeted the El-Buss camp near the city of Tyre for the first time.

Since the start of Israel's war on Gaza and subsequent clashes with Hezbollah since last October, the Israeli military has assassinated several Hamas officials and fighters, including members of its military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, in Lebanon.

Previous notable assassinations in Lebanon include Hamas political bureau deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri in January and Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukr in July.

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched its most intense and widespread assault on Lebanon since the clashes with Hezbollah began nearly a year ago.

The ongoing attacks have claimed at least 916 lives, including women and children, and injured 2,709 others, according to data from Lebanese authorities.

Fears of a broader regional war have intensified following Israel’s assassination of several Hezbollah leaders, most notably the group’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

He was killed in an airstrike on Friday evening, during which Israel reportedly dropped 85 tons of bombs on a target in the Haret Hreik neighborhood, Hezbollah's stronghold in southern Beirut.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul