Israeli army claims to have assassinated Islamic Jihad commander near Syrian-Lebanon border

The Israeli army on Wednesday claimed to have assassinated a field commander from the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad in an airstrike near the Syrian-Lebanon border.

The army said in a statement that the Israeli Air Force "earlier today struck and eliminated Faris Qasim, a significant operative in the Islamic Jihad organization's Operations Division, in the area of the Syrian-Lebanese border."

According to the statement, "additional Islamic Jihad members who were on their way from Syria to carry out military activities for Hezbollah in Lebanese territory were eliminated in the strike."

The Israeli army claimed that "Qasim was responsible for the development of the Islamic Jihad's operational plans in Syria and Lebanon. He had a central role in the recruitment of Palestinian fighters into Hezbollah responsible for carrying out attacks from Lebanon against the State of Israel."

"In recent years, Hezbollah, with Iranian direction and funding, has been systematically recruiting Palestinian operatives to advance and direct activity against the State of Israel from Lebanese territory," the army alleged.

The Islamic Jihad Movement and Hezbollah have not yet issued any statement on the Israeli army's claim.

The escalation comes against the backdrop of Israel's brutal war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 40,500 Palestinians since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7. The Israeli military offensive since then has reduced much of the territory to rubble, leaving the majority of the people homeless, hungry, and prone to disease.