According to the IDF, the “military compound” was used by Hamas operatives for training “in order to plan and carry out terrorist attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel.” The military said it took steps to mitigate harm to civilians in the strike, including by using “a precision munition, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence.”
“The IDF is operating against Hamas’s entrenchment in Lebanon, and will continue to operate against Hamas terrorists wherever they operate,” the military added. Hamas operatives in the area prevented journalists from reaching the scene, as ambulances rushed to evacuate the wounded and the dead. The strike marked a relatively rare case of an Israeli attack on the Palestinian terror group in Lebanon, in contrast to near-daily strikes against Hezbollah operatives there. In July, a prominent Hamas commander was killed in a strike in Tripoli, and before that, in May, another commander in the group was killed in Sidon.(Ed note: Why is this important? "Saida (also known as Sidon) includes the area of the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh.") (Read More)
