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A senior commander of the Muslim Sunni militant group Jama’a Islamiya was killed on Tuesday in an Israeli strike, the group said in a statement. Hussein Atawi was driving from his home to his office in Beirut, the statement added. He had survived an earlier attempt on his life last January in southern Lebanon.
A source in Jama’a Islamiya confirmed to the Qatari newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed that the commander of the Fajr Forces—the group’s military wing—was killed in the attack attributed to Israel, and described him as a senior academic.
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Aftermath of an IDF strike on a member of the Suni Islamist Jama'a Islamiya group
(Photo: AFP)
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IDF strike in Lebanon
The IDF said in a statement that Atawi had been involved in planning terror attacks on Israel from Lebanon, targeting troops along the border and that he had been responsible for rocket fire and attempted infiltrations across the border, as well as the planning of attacks against Israeli targets around the world.
Jama’a Islamiya is part of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, and its military wing participated in attacks against Israel during the recent war. The group said its actions would increase “as long as Israel continues its aggression against South Lebanon and Gaza.”
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At least seven militants from the group were killed last March in an Israeli strike on a building in southern Lebanon. The IDF later confirmed that the attack targeted a military structure hours before Hezbollah fired rockets at Kiryat Shmona.
The Hezbollah‑affiliated al‑Akhbar newspaper reported last year that the group’s involvement in the fighting raised questions in the Arab and Western worlds about the rise of political Islam among Sunnis in Lebanon. According to al‑Akhbar, Jama’a Islamiya was the only Sunni faction to publicly support Gaza, attracting young Lebanese who opposed the Shi’ite terror group and sought a new avenue of resistance against Israel.
Al‑Akhbar also reported, citing sources, that Israel and the United States had attempted to infiltrate the group, which has been under surveillance because of its ties to Hamas and Hezbollah.