Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon kills senior Palestinian figure

An Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon has killed a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) along with his bodyguard, as they were reportedly traveling toward Syria, a statement released by the PFLP said.

The strike occurred on August 7 afternoon near the Masnaa border crossing with Syria and resulted in the death of Mohammed Wishah, a longtime member of the PFLP’s central committee and its top security official in Syria. His bodyguard, Mufid Hussein, was also killed in the attack, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The Israeli military confirmed responsibility for the airstrike, stating that Wishah was actively engaged in coordinating operations with other militant groups in the region and was instrumental in bolstering ties between the PFLP and what Israel refers to as Iran’s "axis of resistance." The army added that he was advancing plans to carry out attacks against Israel and had assumed his current role in Syria after his predecessor was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut in September.

In a tribute posted on social media, senior PFLP official Marwan Abdel-Al mourned the loss of the two men, writing, “We have lost two of the most loyal comrades who gave their precious souls to freedom.”

Lebanon’s media reported that the airstrike killed six people and wounded 10 others, though it did not identify all the victims. A PFLP official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Wishah had been in Lebanon for internal meetings and was en route back to Syria when the strike occurred.

According to the PFLP’s statement, Wishah was born in the Gaza Strip in 1954 and joined the group in 1973. He spent five years in Israeli prisons early in his political life.

Separately, in the morning of August 8, an Israeli drone strike targeted a vehicle on a coastal highway in southern Lebanon, killing Mohammed Shehadeh, a citizen journalist. While initial reports described him as a media figure, Hezbollah later confirmed that Shehadeh was one of its members.

The latest strikes come amid heightened tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border. Since the end of the 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel has conducted dozens of airstrikes on Lebanese territory, primarily aimed at Hezbollah operatives and affiliated militants.

By Vafa Guliyeva