Israel kills Hamas commander in Lebanon’s Sidon; bodyguard said critically wounded

An Israeli airstrike on Friday killed a Hamas commander in the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon, in a joint operation claimed by the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security service.

A Hamas source and two other security sources told Reuters that Samer al-Hajj’s bodyguard was also critically wounded in the strike.

According to a statement from the military and Shin Bet, al-Hajj was responsible for “advancing terror attacks and projectile launches from Lebanon toward Israeli territory.”

Al-Hajj was the commander of Hamas’s military forces in the Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon, and responsible for “recruiting and training terrorists to attack the State of Israel,” the Israeli statement added.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported that al-Hajj was traveling in a SUV when it was struck by two missiles.

According to NNA, people in Ein el-Hilweh angrily took to the streets to march against Israel, chanting slogans in support of Hamas. READ MORE