World

Israel kills Islamic Jihad's top commander in Beirut

By AAP Newswire

Mar 3, 2026

Israel launches airstrikes on Lebanon — Israel says it killed Islamic Jihad's top commander in Beirut. -EPA

The Israeli military says it has killed Islamic Jihad's top commander in Lebanon.

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"Abu Hamza Rami carried out hundreds of terrorist attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians, including recruiting and training terrorists and procuring weapons," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Monday. the IDF said on X.

Rami has "managed the movement of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists along the Syria-Lebanon border and their activities against IDF troops in southern Lebanon," the IDF said.

"His elimination has significantly degraded PIJ's ability to carry out terrorist operations against Israel."

The PIJ is a terrorist organisation allied with Palestinian militant organisation Hamas.

The United States and Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Iran on Saturday, sparking a regional escalation as Tehran fired missiles at US bases in several Gulf states.

In response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the joint US-Israeli attack, the Iran-allied Hezbollah militia in Lebanon fired several rockets at Israel.

Retaliatory Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed at least 52 people and wounded 154 on Monday, the Lebanese government said in an updated toll.