Hamas Deputy Chief Killed by IDF Strike in Lebanon
An Israeli Defense Forces airstrike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed Khalil Kharaz, a deputy chief of Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades, according to reports later confirmed by Hamas officials. The officials said that Kharaz was killed near the city of Tyre while “carrying out his duty.”
Hamas has strong ties to fellow Iran-backed terrorist group Hizbullah in Lebanon, and since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, violence on the Israeli-Lebanese border has reached its highest levels since the 2006 war. More than 70 Hizbullah fighters and 13 Lebanese civilians have reportedly been killed on the northern border since Oct. 7, as well as seven Israeli soldiers and three Israeli civilians.
Lebanese state media and Al Mayadeen TV network also claimed that two of the network’s journalists were killed in a separate IDF strike on Tuesday, in the area near Tir Harfa, and also mentioned a third civilian casualty who was not a journalist.
The IDF issued a statement in response to the allegations, saying it was “aware of a claim regarding journalists … killed as a result of [Israeli] fire.”
“IDF forces acted to remove an existing threat in an area from which Hizbullah was firing, near al-Jabin. … This is an area with active hostilities, where exchanges of fire occur. Presence in the area is dangerous.”
The IDF added that the incident was “under review.”
Al Mayadeen, which has claimed that Israel has sought to silence it over its pro-Palestinian and pro-Iranian coverage, said the alleged killing of the two journalists was deliberate. Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized the seizure of equipment from Al Mayadeen.
