Military leader of Lebanese Islamist group killed in Israeli airstrike

Tuesday 22 April 2025 - 15:11

By: Zahouani Ilham

Military leader of Lebanese Islamist group killed in Israeli airstrike

A military leader of the Lebanese Islamist group, Jamaa Islamiya, allied with the Palestinian Hamas, was killed on Tuesday morning in an Israeli airstrike south of Beirut, as confirmed by a Lebanese security official. The Lebanese Civil Defense reported that "an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle" near the coastal city of Damour, about 20 kilometers south of Beirut, and rescuers found one fatality in the vehicle.

The unnamed security official revealed that Hussein Atoui, who was killed in the attack, was a leader of the Al-Fajr Forces (Forces of the Dawn), the armed wing of Jamaa Islamiya. This Lebanese group is closely tied to the Palestinian Hamas and allied with the Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Jamaa Islamiya had claimed responsibility for attacks against Israel from southern Lebanon in the early months of the conflict that erupted in October 2024 between Hezbollah and its allies and Israel, escalating into open warfare by September 2024. A ceasefire was implemented on November 27, 2024, which Hezbollah claims to uphold. However, rocket fire aimed at Israel from Lebanon occurred twice in March 2025, on the 22nd and 28th, although no group has claimed responsibility for these attacks.

The Lebanese army announced last week that several Lebanese and Palestinians involved in these rocket attacks had been arrested, including three Hamas members, according to a security official. Despite the ceasefire, Israel continues to conduct airstrikes on Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah. On Sunday, Israel announced that two senior members of the Iran-backed group had been killed in a series of airstrikes.

At the start of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023, triggered by a Hamas attack on Israeli soil, Hezbollah opened a front against Israel, firing rockets in support of the Palestinian movement.