Israeli strike kills Lebanon Jama’a Islamiya’s senior figure

BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley on Sunday killed a senior figure in the Sunni Jama’a Islamiya group, Mohammad Dahrouj, two security sources told Reuters.

The group has fired rockets on Israel over the past year and Israel has previously conducted strikes targeting other leading figures from the group.

The Lebanese health ministry said in a statement on Sunday that 14 medics have been killed over the course of two days of Israeli strikes.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry says more than 1,000 Lebanese were killed and 6,000 wounded in the past two weeks. The government said a million people – a fifth of the population – had fled their homes.

Israel struck more targets in Lebanon on Sunday, pressing Hezbollah with new attacks after killing the Iran-backed group’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Israel’s stated goal is to make its northern areas safe from Hezbollah rocket fire and allow thousands of displaced residents to return.

Meanwhile, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Sunday that Israel will not be able to safely get people back into their homes in the north of the country by waging an all-out war with Hezbollah or Iran.

“An all-out war with Hezbollah, certainly with Iran, is not the way to do that. If you want to get those folks back home safely and sustainably, we believe that a diplomatic path is the right course,” Kirby told CNN. The U.S. is Israel’s longtime ally and biggest arms supplier.

The United States is watching to see what Hezbollah does to try to fill its leadership vacuum “and is continuing to talk to the Israelis about what the right next steps are”, he said.

“We have made no bones about the fact that we don’t necessarily see the tactical execution the same way that they do in terms of protection (of civilians),” said Kirby, adding that U.S. support for Israel’s security was iron clad.

Iran said on Saturday it would defend its national and security interests but gave no details. It called for the United Nations Security Council to meet over Israel’s actions.