The Israeli Air Force on Tuesday afternoon struck a senior Hamas operative in the village of al-‘Iruniya in the Tripoli district of northern Lebanon.
Lebanese media reported that a vehicle was struck, resulting in one fatality and three injuries. The target was reportedly Maharan Mustafa Bajur, described as the head of planning for Hamas’ military wing in Lebanon.
Attack on vehicle in the village of al-‘Iruniya in northern Lebanon
In September, Hamas announced the elimination of its leader in Lebanon, Fatah Sharif Abu al-Amin. The strike occurred in the Al-Buss refugee camp near Tyre. Abu al-Amin had also served as head of the UNRWA teachers' union in Lebanon until he was suspended following what was described as a breach of UNRWA conduct policies. On October 7, he quickly praised the massacre carried out by Hamas. A Hamas poster later referred to him as “the martyr and the educator.”
In January, Lebanon also witnessed the elimination of Saleh al-Arouri, who was the deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau. Hamas’ military wing called him the “architect” of the October 7 massacre. Lebanese sources reported that the strike took place in the Dahieh district of Beirut—a Hezbollah stronghold—and was carried out using three missiles, at a time when Hezbollah was still at the peak of its power in Lebanon.
Al-Arouri was considered a key orchestrator of Hamas operations in the West Bank. He was involved in planning the October 7 massacre and played a central role in managing and funding Hamas cells in the West Bank in recent years. Additionally, he was recognized as a liaison to Iran, through which Tehran funded the terror group with around $50 million annually.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Al Hadath network reported on Tuesday morning that Hezbollah has “entered a high alert on all fronts” amid Israeli airstrikes and mounting pressure on the Iran-backed terrorist group to disarm.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
According to the report, “families of many Hezbollah members have arrived in Beirut from southern Lebanon. Many commanders in the organization have stopped using their phones. Hezbollah evacuated centers in several areas in anticipation of an Israeli strike.”
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack is currently in Lebanon, negotiating with the Lebanese government on the gradual disarmament of the terrorist organization. Meanwhile, the IDF continues operating across the country, primarily in the south — from which Hezbollah fighters were expected to withdraw under the ceasefire agreement.
On Monday, the IDF struck and eliminated Ali Abd al-Hassan Haidar, a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, in the area of Deir Kifa in southern Lebanon.
"Haidar advanced numerous terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops, including the Conquer the Galilee plan. In recent months, the terrorist was involved in efforts to reestablish Hezbollah's terrorist infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon," the IDF said in a statement.
Approximately two hours after Haidar’s killing, the IDF eliminated another Hezbollah terrorist in the Beit Lif area in southern Lebanon, the military added.
“The IDF will continue to operate in order to eliminate every threat to the State of Israel,” a statement read.