Lebanon: Israeli army kill Fatah commander in airstrike
As U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken leaves the Middle East without a breakthrough in ceasefire talks, Israel carries on its strikes on enemy targets unhindered as tensions in the region continue to rise.
The Israeli army’s latest airstrike happened in the Sidon area of southern Lebanon, targeting Khalil al-Maqdah, a commander in the armed wing of the Palestinian Fatah movement, reported AFP and agencies on August 21st.
The Israeli army claimed that Maqdah and his brother worked for Iran in “directing attacks and transferring funds and weapons to terrorist infrastructure” in the occupied West Bank.
The strike, which occurred near the Palestinian refugee camps of Ain al-Helwah and Mieh Mieh, left a charred vehicle, out of which rescuers pulled out a body.
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An AFP correspondent stated that a crowd of angered Fatah supporters gathered in the refugee camp with gunshots being fired into the air.
Fatah reacted to the killing by accusing Israel of seeking to “ignite a regional war”. Fatah and a Lebanese security source confirmed the death of Al-Maqdah.
The Israeli military also added that Al-Maqdah was brother to Mounir al-Maqdah, responsible for leading the Lebanese branch of Fatah’s armed wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. Tel Aviv accused both brothers of “directing terror attacks” in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The airstrike is the first reported attack on a senior member of Fatah, the movement led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
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Since the beginning of Israel’s offensive into Gaza, militant groups allied with Hamas, such as Hezbollah, have been exchanging missile fire with the Israeli military.
Fatah labelled the killing of the commander as a “cowardly assassination carried out by … Zionist (Israeli) warplanes”. The party praised al-Maqdah for playing a “central role” in “supporting the Palestinian people and its resistance” during the Gaza war and an “important role in supporting resistance cells” for years in the West Bank.
In Fatah’s headquarters located in Ramallah, senior Fatah official Tawfiq Tirawy said that Israel’s intention for the killing was to trigger a regional conflict.
Israeli targets also conducted airstrikes on 30 targets across Gaza on August 21st, resulting in the deaths of 50 Palestinians. The revised death toll, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, stands at 40,223.
AFP and agencies
