Mohammed Hamed Jabara, a senior commander in the military wing of the Islamic Group terrorist organization, was killed Thursday morning in an airstrike on his vehicle in the Bekaa district of southern Lebanon, Sky News Arabia reported. The report noted that Jabara was a member of the organization's Fajr forces.
The Islamic Group, which positions itself as a "Sunni option for resistance against Israel," has close ties with Hezbollah and Hamas. Footage of the incident shows a missile hitting the vehicle, causing it to explode in the middle of a street in western Bekaa.
Airstrike on vehicle of Mohammed Hamed Jabara, senior commander in the military wing of the Islamic Group terrorist organization, in southern Lebanon's Bekaa district
Meanwhile, Hamas confirmed that Jabara, who was affiliated with both Hamas and Islamic Group in Lebanon, was killed in the strike in the Bekaa district. Hamas has historically issued statements following the deaths of significant figures within allied groups.
The IDF announced that since Thursday morning, it had conducted operations that resulted in the deaths of at least four terrorists in southern Lebanon, including in the Bekaa district, Jabal al-Botm, Mirmin and near Tyre.
The army identified Jabara as a key figure in planning and executing terror attacks against Israel, often in cooperation with the Islamic Group. The IDF highlighted that Jabara’s elimination significantly hampers Hamas' ability to orchestrate terror activities along Israel's northern border.
Lebanese media reported that Hussein Ali Mohanna, a Hezbollah operative, was killed in a drone strike in the village of Jabal al-Botm. Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar, which is affiliated with the Shiite terrorist organization, detailed that the strike occurred in two stages. The initial missile fired by the drone missed, allowing Mohanna to escape his vehicle and run toward a nearby field. However, the drone returned and fired three additional missiles, ultimately hitting Mohanna in the field.
On Wednesday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah threatened to expand the range of attacks and target Israeli settlements that have not yet been hit if the Israeli military continues to "attack civilians." In a speech commemorating the Shiite festival of Ashura, Nasrallah mentioned the civilians killed in Lebanon in recent days, including three Syrian children.
"Our response last night with rockets on Kiryat Shmona and other settlements shows our stance. If you continue to attack civilians, it will push the resistance to target settlements that have not been attacked so far," he said, referring to a barrage of dozens of rockets fired into northern Israel the previous night.
Nasrallah also emphasized that Hezbollah's "support front" will persist as long as the war in Gaza continues. "The threat of war has not scared us for 10 months, during which Israel has faced no shortages," he said.
He ruled out the possibility of a near-term cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, asserting, "The future of the situation in the south will be determined by the outcomes of the battle."