Israel eliminates senior Hamas militant in Lebanon
Illustrative photo: Israeli aircraft strikes Lebanon (x.com/IAFsite)
Israeli forces carried out an airstrike on the city of Sidon (Lebanon), killing senior Hamas commander Mohammed Shaheen, stated the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), according to The Times of Israel.
The IDF claims that Shaheen was the chief of Hamas operations in Lebanon.
The eliminated militant was reportedly involved in organizing terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens under Iranian funding and guidance.
"Shaheen was a significant source of knowledge within the organization and was involved throughout the war with advancing various terror attacks, including rocket fire on the Israeli home front," the IDF added.
Israel-Hamas ceasefire
Since late January, a ceasefire has been in place between Israel and Hamas. As part of the agreement, Israel has been releasing Palestinian prisoners, while Hamas has been freeing Israeli hostages.
The latest exchange took place on Saturday, February 15, when Hamas released three hostages.
Notably, Hamas had previously threatened to halt hostage releases, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that if the hostages were not released, Israel would resume intense military operations in Gaza.
