By Patriot Corps
BEIRUT, Sept 30 (Reuters) – Palestinian militant group Hamas announced that an Israeli strike killed its leader in Lebanon on Monday, while another Palestinian militant group reported that three of its leaders were killed in a strike on Beirut, marking the first attack within the city’s limits.
Hamas stated that its leader in Lebanon, Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin, was killed along with his wife, son, and daughter in a strike that targeted their house in a Palestinian refugee camp in the southern city of Tyre during the early hours of Monday.
As Israel escalates hostilities against Iran’s allies in the region, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) confirmed that three of its leaders were killed in a strike that targeted the Kola district of Beirut.
The strike hit the upper floor of an apartment building, according to witnesses from Reuters. There was no immediate comment from Israel’s military.
Israel’s increasing frequency of attacks against the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and the Houthi militia in Yemen has raised concerns that Middle East fighting could spiral out of control and draw in both Iran and the United States, Israel’s main ally.
The PFLP, another militant group involved in the fight against Israel, also reported losses.
On Sunday, Israel launched airstrikes against the Houthi militia in Yemen and targeted dozens of Hezbollah sites throughout Lebanon after earlier killing a Hezbollah leader. The Houthi-run health ministry said at least four people were killed and 29 wounded in airstrikes on Yemen’s port of Hodeidah, which Israel claimed were in response to Houthi missile attacks. In Lebanon, authorities reported at least 105 people had been killed by Israeli airstrikes on Sunday.
Israeli drones hovered over Beirut for much of Sunday, with the loud blasts of new airstrikes echoing across the Lebanese capital. Displaced families spent the night on benches at Zaitunay Bay, a waterfront area lined with restaurants and cafes.
Many of Israel’s attacks have been focused on southern Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah operates extensively, or in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Monday’s attack in the Kola district appeared to be the first strike within Beirut’s city limits. Syrians living in southern Lebanon, who had fled Israeli bombardment, had been sleeping under a bridge in the area for days, according to local residents.
The United States has urged a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in Lebanon but has also authorized military reinforcements in the region. When asked if an all-out war in the Middle East could be avoided, U.S. President Joe Biden responded, “It has to be.” He added that he would be speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/