Israeli drone strike kills 4 Hamas terrorists in Lebanon

BEIRUT — An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon has killed four members of the Palestinian terror group Hamas, a Palestinian official and a Lebanese security official say.

The strike today occurred in the village of Chaatiyeh near the Mediterranean coast, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to reveal military information.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency confirms that four people were killed in a vehicle but did not give any further details.

The Palestinian official said the four were members of the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing. The Lebanese security official says the four were members of Hamas, without saying if they were from the military wing.

The Israeli military does not comment on the strike.

According to unconfirmed reports circulating on social media, among the Hamas members killed today was Khalil Kharaz, the deputy commander of Hamas’s Lebanon wing.

An escalation in Lebanon: initial unconfirmed reports suggest Khalil Kharaz, the deputy commander of #Hamas’ Al Qassam Brigades #Lebanon wing, has been assassinated. #Israel pic.twitter.com/5yMxMPzlvz

— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) November 21, 2023

Hamas has a large presence in Lebanon, which is home to tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps.

Since Hamas’s shock Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people, Hamas has claimed responsibility for firing rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel — along with many more fired by Lebanon terror group Hezbollah — as well as one cross-border infiltration.

On October 14, Hamas said three of its fighters were killed along the border and their bodies remain in Israel.