From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
IDF says Sunday strike killed 2 Islamic Jihad operatives crossing from Lebanon to Syria
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Two Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives who were en route to crossing the border from Lebanon into Syria on Sunday night were killed in an Israeli airstrike, the military says.
The strike took place near the village of Majdal Anjar, which is located in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa Valley, on a road leading from Beirut to Damascus, some 40 kilometers (nearly 25 miles) north of Israel’s border.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, the strike killed four.
The IDF says it targeted the Islamic Jihad operatives while they were attempting to cross the Syrian border, “after in recent months they had been working to advance terror activities against the State of Israel from Lebanese territory.”
“The terrorists’ actions posed an immediate threat to the citizens of the State of Israel and to IDF troops operating in the Syrian arena,” the army adds.
The military also issues footage of the strike.
צה"ל חיסל מחבלים מארגון הטרור הג'יהאד האיסלאמי הפלסטיני בעת שניסו לחצות את הגבול מלבנון לסוריה
צה"ל תקף שלשום במרחב מג׳דל ענג׳ר שבלבנון, וחיסל שני מחבלים מארגון הטרור הג'יהאד האיסלאמי הפלסטיני בסוריה.
המחבלים הותקפו באופן ממוקד בעת שניסו לחצות את הגבול מלבנון לעבר שטח סוריה,… pic.twitter.com/qOgCvBO9JQ
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 17, 2026
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