The Israeli occupation army claimed today that it had killed Hassan Farhat, the commander of Hamas’ Western Sector in Lebanon, in an air strike on the southern Lebanese city of Sidon.
According to Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee, the attack, which took place last night, targeted Farhat, who was accused of “orchestrating several attacks against Israeli forces.”
Farhat was allegedly responsible for “launching rocket attacks towards the Israeli city of Safed on Feb. 14, 2024, which resulted in the death of a soldier and injuries to several others,” he added.
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that an “Israeli air strike on an apartment in Sidon early this morning killed three individuals,” without giving further details.
There has been no comment on the issue from Hamas.
A fragile ceasefire had been in place in Lebanon since November, ending months of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.
Lebanese authorities reported over 1,250 Israeli violations of the ceasefire, including at least 100 fatalities and more than 330 injuries.
Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by 26 January, but the deadline was extended to 18 February after it refused to comply. It still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.