Israeli drone strike eliminates 2 Jamaa Islamiya militants in West Bekaa

A drone strike by Israel targeted a vehicle in eastern Lebanon, resulting in two fatalities, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency. The Israeli military identified the target as Musab Khalaf, an official with Lebanon’s al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, a group allied with Hezbollah. Khalaf was accused by Israel of orchestrating attacks against Israeli troops in Shebaa Farms, a region captured by Israel from Syria during the 1967 Mideast war and claimed by Lebanon.

The specifics of the deceased were not disclosed by the Lebanese agency, which reported that the strike happened near the village of Maydoun. An al-Jamaa al-Islamiya official declined to confirm the details of the report when approached by The Associated Press.

This incident followed a separate attack by Hezbollah across the Israel-Lebanon border that resulted in the death of an Israeli civilian. The ongoing conflict has seen almost daily exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israeli forces along the border since the Gaza war began about seven months ago, with Hezbollah declaring its actions in support of the Palestinian group Hamas.