Israel on Friday hit a vehicle in the south Lebanon city of Sidon, k!lling a Hamas commander.
The Palestinian militant group and the Israeli military said.
It is the first strike of its kind in Sidon since Hamas launched its October 7 attack on Israel.
The attack triggered war in Gaza and prompted its Lebanese ally Hezbollah to begin trading near-daily cross-border fire with the Israeli army in a bid to tie down its troops.
Hamas said in a statement that its “commander” Samer al-Hajj was k!lled “in a Zionist strike in the city of Sidon”.
The Israeli military said that its aircraft struck the Sidon area and “eliminated” Hajj, whom it identified as “a senior commander” for Hamas in Lebanon.
It said Hajj “was responsible for advancing terror attacks and projectile launches from Lebanon toward Israeli territory”.
Also, he was “the military forces’ commander in the Ain al-Helweh camp… and was responsible for the recruitment and training” of operatives.
