By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

An Israeli airstrike in Sidon killed Hamas official Hassan Farhat and his two children, drawing condemnation from Lebanon’s prime minister.

The Al-Qassam Brigades announced on Friday that one of its leaders, Hassan Farhat, was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in Sidon, southern Lebanon. The group confirmed that Farhat was killed along with his daughter and son when their apartment was targeted.

In a statement, Al-Qassam expressed condolences to Farhat’s family and denounced the assassination, saying it was part of Israel’s continued aggression against Palestinian resistance leaders. The group vowed that his death would not go unanswered.

The Israeli army later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had targeted the Sidon area the previous night under the direction of the Northern Command and Intelligence Service.

Hamas official Hassan Farhat (Abu Yasser) was assassinated in the Israeli attack on the southern Lebanese city of Sidon (Saida) a few hours ago.

His daughter and son were killed alongside him. pic.twitter.com/eYkVGI4ZHA

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) April 4, 2025

According to the Israeli military, Farhat was the commander of Hamas’ Western Sector in Lebanon. The army alleged that he had been responsible for launching rockets toward Safed on February 14 of last year, an attack that killed a female soldier and injured several others. It also claimed that Farhat had been planning further operations against Israel in recent months, posing what it described as a security threat.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that three people were killed in the Israeli raid on Sidon. A Lebanese security source told Al-Jazeera that an Israeli aircraft fired two missiles at an apartment building in the city, directly striking the target. The source confirmed that the raid targeted a Palestinian official, who was killed alongside his two children.

The Lebanese Public Health Emergency Operations Center later issued a statement confirming that three people had been killed in the Israeli airstrike but did not provide further details.

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Violation of Sovereignty

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the Israeli attack on Sidon, calling it a blatant violation of Lebanese sovereignty and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which governs the cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel.

Salam urged the international community to apply maximum pressure on Israel to halt its ongoing attacks on Lebanon, particularly those targeting residential areas. He emphasized the need for an immediate cessation of military operations.

Since the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon took effect on November 27, Israel has committed 1,384 violations, resulting in at least 117 deaths and 366 injuries, according to an Anadolu Agency tally based on official data.

The broader Israeli aggression against Lebanon began on October 8, 2023, amid escalating regional tensions following Israel’s war on Gaza. The conflict escalated into a full-scale war on September 23, 2024, causing more than 4,000 deaths and approximately 17,000 injuries. In addition to the casualties, an estimated 1.4 million people have been displaced.

(PC, AJA)