Israel kills Hamas leader in Lebanon, another key Hezbollah figure
A building damaged in an Israeli strike is seen through a razor wire fence, in Kola, central Beirut, Lebanon, Sept. 30, 2024. (Reuters Photo)


Israeli airstrikes killed the leader of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in Lebanon on Monday, a day after another key Hezbollah figure was also assassinated.

Meanwhile, another Palestinian resistance group said three of its leaders were killed in a strike on Beirut, the first attack within the city limits.

Hamas leader in Lebanon Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin was killed, along with his wife, son and daughter, in a strike that targeted their house in a Palestinian refugee camp in the southern city of Tyre in the early hours of Monday.

As Israel escalates hostilities against Iran's allies in the region, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said three of its leaders were killed in a strike that targeted Beirut's Kola district.

The strike hit the upper floor of an apartment building, Reuters witnesses said.

There was no immediate comment from Israel's military.

Israel's increasing frequency of attacks against the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi rebels in Yemen have prompted fears that Middle East fighting could spin out of control and draw in Iran and the United States, Israel's main ally.

The PFLP is another resistance group taking part in the fight against Israel.

Israel on Sunday launched airstrikes against the Houthi militia in Yemen and dozens of Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon after earlier killing the Hezbollah leader.

The Houthi-run Health Ministry said at least four people were killed and 29 wounded in airstrikes on Yemen's port of Hodeidah, which Israel said were a response to Houthi missile attacks. In Lebanon, authorities said at least 105 people had been killed by Israeli airstrikes Sunday.

Earlier Saturday, Hezbollah confirmed Nabil Kaouk, the deputy head of the group's Central Council, was also killed, making him the seventh senior Hezbollah leader slain in Israeli strikes in a little over a week. They include founding members who had evaded death or detention for decades.

Lebanon's Health Ministry has said more than 1,000 Lebanese have been killed and 6,000 wounded in the past two weeks. The government said a million people – a fifth of the population – have fled their homes.

The intensifying Israeli bombardment over two weeks has killed a string of top Hezbollah officials, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Israel has vowed to keep up the assault and says it wants to make its northern areas secure again for residents who have been forced to flee Hezbollah rocket attacks.

Israeli drones hovered over Beirut for much of Sunday, with the loud blasts of new airstrikes echoing around the Lebanese capital. Displaced families spent the night on benches at Zaitunay Bay, a string of restaurants and cafes on Beirut's waterfront.

Many of Israel's attacks have been carried out in the south of Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah has most of its operations, or Beirut's southern suburbs.

Monday's attack in the Kola district appeared to be the first strike within Beirut's city limits. Syrians living in southern Lebanon who had fled Israeli bombardment had been sleeping under a bridge in the neighborhood for days, residents of the area said.

The United States has urged a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in Lebanon but has also authorized its military to reinforce in the region.

U.S. President Joe Biden, asked if an all-out war in the Middle East could be avoided, said "It has to be." He said he will be talking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.