Israeli strike kills Lebanese militants in Beqaa area
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -An Israeli strike in Lebanon's Beqaa region has killed two members of a Lebanese militant group that has fired rockets across the southern border at Israel, the group said on Friday.
Israel's military said in a statement on Friday that its air force "struck and eliminated Mosab Khalaf in the area of Meidoun in Lebanon," saying he was a member of the Jama'a Islamiya group and had carried out attacks against Israel.
In a statement, the Jama'a Islamiya said two of its field commanders - Khalaf and relative of his - were killed in the strike.
A security source in Lebanon confirmed that Khalaf was a local official in the group's armed wing, the Fajr forces. The group has previously fired rockets at Israel.
It was the first time Israel has confirmed having targeted a member of the Jama'a Islamiya in Lebanon, although more than a dozen members of the group have been killed in strikes in Lebanon, including targeting members of Palestinian faction Hamas in Lebanon.
Hamas launched an attack on Israel in October that left 1,200 people dead and led to 253 being taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel responded with a military campaign on the Gaza Strip that has left more than 34,000 Palestinians dead.
In parallel, Hezbollah and Israel have been trading fire across Lebanon's southern border. An Israeli strike killed two Hezbollah fighters on Friday, security sources in Lebanon said.
More than 250 Hezbollah members and more than 70 civilians have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon since October. In Israel, missile fire coming from Lebanon has killed around a dozen troops and half as many civilians.
(Reporting by Jerualem and Beirut bureaus; Editing by Josie Kao and Toby Chopra)
