Hamas has transferred a militant suspected of launching rockets into northern Israel to the Lebanese Army, the military confirmed.
The Palestinian group handed over the individual at the entrance to the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp in Sidon, a city in southern Lebanon, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.
The suspect is believed to have been involved in two rocket attacks launched from Lebanon into Israel in March, according to the Lebanese Army.
The handover follows mounting tensions between Israel and both Hamas and Hezbollah along Lebanon’s southern border. Earlier in the week, Lebanon’s top military officials issued a stern warning to Hamas, vowing to impose the “harshest measures” if the group carried out further attacks from Lebanese soil. This came in the wake of multiple arrests of Lebanese and Palestinian individuals suspected of firing rockets into Israel. Both rocket attacks, which took place months after a US-brokered ceasefire agreement went into effect last November, prompted extensive Israeli airstrikes targeting southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, Hamas has repeatedly launched attacks on Israel from its bases in Lebanon, escalating the already tense situation. In response, Israel has conducted airstrikes, killing several high-ranking Hamas officials, including Saleh Arouri, the group's senior military chief, who was targeted in an airstrike in Beirut.
The ongoing conflict has contributed to rising instability in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah, a major Shiite militant group based in Lebanon, has engaged in low-level skirmishes with Israeli forces, which intensified after Israel assassinated key Hezbollah leaders, including the long-time secretary general Hassan Nasrallah. The fighting has claimed the lives of more than 4,000 individuals in Lebanon.
Despite the ceasefire agreement, Israel continues to maintain control over several strategic hilltop points in southern Lebanon and has expressed concerns over Hezbollah’s military presence in the region. Israel has criticized Hezbollah for allegedly attempting to rearm, while the group maintains that its military presence in the area has subsided in compliance with the ceasefire deal. However, Hezbollah has also accused Israel of violating the terms of the agreement with ongoing strikes in southern Lebanon.
By Vafa Guliyeva
Source: caliber.az
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