In a significant escalation of regional tensions, Israel conducted an airstrike on Wednesday, (21 August), killing, a senior commander of the Palestinian Fatah movement, in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon. The Israeli military accused the senior commander of orchestrating attacks in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and collaborating with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to smuggle weapons into the region. This marks the first such reported attack on a high-ranking Fatah member amidst ongoing cross-border clashes between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah following the Gaza war.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the strike, stating that an air force aircraft targeted Maqdah, who they claim was involved in directing terror activities alongside his brother, the head of the Lebanese branch of Fatah’s armed wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. The IDF alleges that both brothers worked on behalf of Iran to support militant activities in the West Bank.
Fatah condemned the killing, describing it as a “cowardly assassination” by Israeli warplanes and mourning Maqdah as a key leader in their movement. The group highlighted his “central role” in supporting Palestinian resistance during the recent Gaza conflict and his long-term involvement in aiding resistance cells in the West Bank.
The assassination has fueled fears of a broader conflict in the region. A member of Fatah’s central committee accused Israel of intentionally provoking a regional war through the assassination. The incident underscores the fragile state of regional security, with concerns that this act could lead to further violence between Israel and various militant groups in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.
The strike comes after more than 10 months of heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, with frequent clashes along the Israel-Lebanon border following the war in Gaza. Maqdah’s killing represents a serious escalation, with both sides now on high alert for potential retaliatory attacks.
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