Israel kills a Hamas commander in Lebanon, further testing ceasefire

Israel killed a commander of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in an airstrike on southern Lebanon on Friday, further testing a ceasefire that halted last year’s war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.

The Israeli military said the targeted militant, Hassan Farhat, was behind a rocket attack on the city of Safed last year that killed and wounded several Israeli soldiers. It vowed to act against Hamas fighters “wherever they operate”.

A security source said Farhat was killed along with his son and daughter in the strike in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon. Hamas’ armed wing the al-Qassam Brigades said Farhat was assassinated in his apartment in Sidon, and praised his “blessed contributions” to the confrontation with Israel over the years.

Read more: Reuters