Beirut: A senior commander of Jamaat-e-Islami Lebanon, Dr. Hussein Izzat Atwi, was killed along with another individual in an Israeli drone strike, while two others sustained injuries, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
The attack occurred in southern Lebanon, where one strike targeted a vehicle, killing Dr. Atwi, while another hit a house in the Houla region, resulting in another fatality.
Jamaat-e-Islami Lebanon confirmed the martyrdom of Dr. Atwi, condemning the Israeli assault as a cowardly act. In an official statement, the group revealed that Dr. Atwi was en route to his office from his home when his vehicle was struck by the drone.
An Israeli military spokesperson claimed responsibility, stating that the attack targeted Dr. Atwi due to his alleged involvement in planning cross-border attacks from Lebanon into Israel, and cited his reported links with Hamas.
Born in 1968 in the southern village of Al-Habbariya, Dr. Hussein Atwi’s life was marked by conflict; his mother was killed in Israeli shelling in 1977 when he was only nine years old.
The incident underscores the ongoing escalation in the region and highlights Israel’s increasing focus on preemptive strikes against figures it deems as threats along its northern border.