A Lebanese man was killed on Saturday in an Israeli airstrike targeting a car in the Western Beqaa region of eastern Lebanon.

The Israeli army claimed that the victim was a leader of the Palestinian Movement Hamas in Lebanon, although this has not been confirmed by the movement.

Al-Jazeera reported that the Israeli drone attack near the town of Al-Khayara in Western Bekaa also injured several people. 

The Israeli military stated that they had assassinated Ayman Atma, a prominent Hamas leader. 

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The army added that Atma was targeted for his involvement in planning an imminent attack against Israel.

Hamas and Hezbollah have not yet commented on the Israeli army’s claims. 

Meanwhile, Lebanese media aired footage of the targeted car engulfed in flames, without disclosing the identity of the victim.

Mutual Bombardment

The attack comes amid ongoing mutual bombardment across the Lebanese-Israeli border. 

Hezbollah announced that it had hit a building used by Israeli soldiers in Al-Manara. 

The Lebanese News Agency reported that Israeli aircraft targeted the towns of Ramia, Khallet al-Warda, and Yaroun in southern Lebanon, while Israeli artillery shelled Khiam and Tallet al-Uzziya.

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Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, on October 7, the Lebanese movement Hezbollah has engaged directly, but relatively in a limited way in the war against the Israeli occupation.

In recent days, the Lebanese-Israeli border has seen a significant escalation, prompting Washington to send envoy Amos Hochstein to Beirut and Tel Aviv in an effort to prevent an Israeli war with Hezbollah. 

Hochstein emphasized that de-escalation at the border depends on ending the conflict in Gaza.

(PC, AJA)