Israeli strike kills Islamic Jihad commander in Beirut’s southern suburbs

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement said on Monday that a senior commander in its armed wing, Al-Quds Brigades, was killed in an Israeli air strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs at dawn.

In a statement, the group said Adham Adnan Al-Othman, known as Abu Hamza, 41, who headed the Al-Quds Brigades’ operations in Lebanon, was killed in what it described as a “treacherous Zionist attack” targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut early on Monday.

The movement mourned Al-Othman, praising what it called his “long record of confronting the Zionist entity”, and said his blood “will remain a compass for thousands of fighters who will avenge and uphold their pledges”.

The killing comes amid sharp regional escalation, as US and Israeli attacks on Iran have continued since Saturday. Iran has responded by launching missiles and drones towards Israel and US bases in several Arab countries, particularly in the Gulf.

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