A day before Israel is slated to withdraw from Lebanon, the IDF eliminated a senior Hamas commander in the coastal city of Sidon in southern Lebanon on Monday, Arab media outlets reported.

According to the Al-Hadath Saudi news outlet, the person killed in the attack was Muhammad Shaheen, the head of Hamas operations in Lebanon, who planned attacks against Jews abroad.

The IDF confirmed the strike early Monday afternoon, stating: “In a joint operation of the IDF and Shin Bet, Air Force aircraft, guided by Shin Bet, Military Intelligence, and the Northern Command, struck in the Sidon area and eliminated the terrorist Muhammad Shaheen, who served as the head of the operations department of the Hamas terror organization in Lebanon.”

“Shaheen was eliminated after recently engaging in advancing terror attacks, under Iranian guidance and funding, against Israeli civilians. Shaheen was a significant figure and source of knowledge within Hamas, and during the war, he was involved in advancing various terror attacks, particularly rocket fire towards the Israeli home front.”

Earlier on Monday, Lebanese media outlets reported that one person was killed after a drone struck a vehicle in Sidon.

Overnight, the Israeli Air Force attacked Hezbollah military sites of Beqaa Valley – deep in Lebanon – in response to ceasefire violations. The attack coincided with the televised speech of Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Nasrallah Qassem.

The IDF stated that the attack was carried out based on precise intelligence, targeting several military sites that contained rocket launchers and weaponry and where Hezbollah activity was identified.

“The activity of terrorist operatives at these sites constitutes a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF spokesperson said. “The IDF continues to act to remove any threat to the State of Israel.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)