BEIRUT, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Two leaders of the Islamic Group were killed on Friday in an Israeli airstrike on the West Bekaa region in eastern Lebanon, Lebanese military sources said.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that an Israeli drone fired two air-to-surface missiles at a vehicle traveling on a road linking the villages of Sarira and Meidoun in West Bekaa, burning the car and killing two people inside.
The victims were identified as Masa'ab Khalaf and Bilal Khalaf from the town of Bebnine in eastern Lebanon.
The Islamic Group, an Islamic political organization with a military wing known as the "al-Fajr Forces," has recently carried out military operations against the Israeli army.
The military sources added that Israeli warplanes launched seven airstrikes targeting four villages and towns in southern Lebanon on Friday.
These sources reported monitoring the launch of more than 35 surface-to-surface missiles from southern Lebanon towards northern Israel, in addition to several drones crossing from Lebanon to Israel.
Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border have escalated since Oct. 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah towards Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon. ■
