Israeli airstrike kills senior Fatah military leader in southern Lebanon

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, an Israeli airstrike targeted a vehicle near the Ain al-Hilweh camp for Palestinian refugees in Saida, south of Lebanon, killing a senior Fatah group military leader.

According to the Lebanese National News Agency, the strike near the Imam Ali Mosque resulted in thick plumes of smoke covering the area.

"Emergency services, including ambulances, civil defense teams, and security forces, quickly arrived at the scene, where a body was recovered from a vehicle amid a gathering crowd."

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of Fatah, issued a statement mourning the death of Brigadier General Khalil al-Maqdah, whom they described as one of their leaders in Lebanon. The statement claimed that al-Maqdah was assassinated while fulfilling his duties as part of the "Al-Aqsa Flood" campaign, a reference to ongoing operations against Israel.

Munir al-Maqdah, the commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Lebanon and brother of the deceased, confirmed that his brother was the target of the Israeli strike. He vowed to continue on the "path of victory or martyrdom," emphasizing that "assassinations only make us stronger, and this martyrdom is a badge of honor."

In a statement to Al-Mayadeen TV, Munir al-Maqdah reassured that the "resistance remains steadfast on the ground."

This attack comes two weeks after an Israeli airstrike in Saida killed Samer al-Hajj, a Hamas official.