From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
IDF confirms Lebanon strike on Fatah official, says he worked with Iran to fund West Bank terror
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The IDF confirms carrying out an airstrike near the coastal Lebanese city of Sidon earlier today, killing Fatah official Khalil Makdah.
Khalil is the brother of senior Fatah official Munir Makdah, who has been accused by Israel for years of working with Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to advance attacks on Israel.
In a joint statement, the IDF and Shin Bet say that the Makdah brothers have been working out of Lebanon with the IRGC to transfer money and weapons to terror cells in the West Bank.
The military publishes footage of the airstrike.
מוקדם יותר היום, בהכוונה משותפת של שב״כ ואמ״ן, כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקף במרחב צידון שבדרום לבנון את המחבל, ח'ליל חסין חליל אל מקדאח.
ח׳ליל הינו אחיו של מוניר אל מקדאח, תושב לבנון שפועל עבור חיזבאללה ומשמרות המהפכה האיראנים, וממשיך לנסות ולקדם פיגועים בימים אלה >> pic.twitter.com/YrO6NatMOY
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 21, 2024
In March, the Shin Bet revealed that it had foiled attempts by Iran to smuggle large amounts of advanced weapons to terror operatives in the West Bank to be used in attacks on Israeli targets.
The Shin Bet said at the time that Munir Makdah was involved in the plot.
