The Hezbollah-affiliated Al Akhbar newspaper reported on Wednesday that Israeli and American intelligence has been attempting to infiltrate the military wing of the Sunni Jamaa Islamiya group, an armed militia affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood movement, because of its affiliation to the Hamas and Hezbollah terror groups in Lebanon.
In an overnight Israeli air strike on South Lebanon, that was confirmed by the IDF, at least seven people were killed. Hezbollah vowed to retaliate and hours later launched a deadly barrage of over 40 rockets toward the Upper Galilee, killing 25-year old Zahar Bashara and wounding one other person.
According to the report, American intelligence operatives offered the sum of $5 million dollars to a member of the group in exchange for information on senior Hamas official Salah al Arouri who was later assassinated in Beirut.
The group's military wing, called the Fajar Forces, had already claimed responsibility for rocket fire toward Israel during the war and had said their attacks would continue and increase for "as long as Israel continues its aggression against South Lebanon and the Gaza Strip."
According to al Akhbar, three members of the Fajar Force were killed in an Israeli strike on the village of Hebbariyeh in Southern Lebanon. The target of the attack was connected to Hamas, but he escaped harm and a Syrian national was among the dead.
A member said in an interview that their operations are often not publicized, by way of explaining the scarcity of reports on their actions.
The newspaper has written often about the group in recent months and just a few days ago said that they have been thriving since they were back in action, which has raised questions about the rise of the Sunni Islamist groups' political presence. Al Akhbar claimed they were the only Arab Sunni group that provides military support for Gaza, which is a draw for Lebanese youth. According to the newspaper, may of the country's young people, who oppose Hezbollah, want to join the resistance to Israel through the Sunni option.
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Searching for survivors after an Israeli air raid on an Islamist terror group in South LEbanonלבנון
Al Akhbar also reported that a terror squad made up of Fajar Force members, planning to smuggle weapons into to Gaza and to attack on Israel's northern city of Haifa, was arrested by the Lebanese military. During questioning, the members claimed to be Hezbollah operatives but the Iran-backed group denied any affiliation to them. They were detained for two months and were ultimately released having been made to promise not to carry out any terror plots without clearing them with "the resistance," or with Lebanon's armed forces.