In the ongoing hostilities between Israeli forces and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, a senior Hamas official in Lebanon narrowly escaped an Israeli strike.
The incident occurred in the coastal town of Jadra, approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the border, making it the second-farthest deadly attack from the frontier in the four months of conflict.
According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA), an Israeli drone targeted a car in Jadra.
A Palestinian source, speaking anonymously for security reasons, described the strike as a “failed attempt to assassinate a senior official in the (Hamas) movement.”
The Lebanese security official, also requesting anonymity, identified the target as Hamas recruitment officer Bassel Saleh.
Following the initial strike on Saleh’s car, a second Israeli drone hit the same location, resulting in two casualties.
The incident underscores the intensification of tensions in the region, with near-daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, a Hamas ally in Lebanon.
The violence has primarily been concentrated along the border, making this strike the second-farthest deadly attack from the frontier in the ongoing conflict.