Israeli strike south of Beirut kills commander in Sunni Islamist group, statement says

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BEIRUT (Reuters) -An Israeli drone strike south of the Lebanese capital killed a top commander from militant group Jama’a Islamiya on Tuesday, the group said, in an attack later confirmed by Israel.

The Israeli military announced that it had killed Hussein Atawi, a “key figure in the Jama’a Islamiya with ties to Hamas,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday.

According to the IDF, Atawi was involved in planning and advancing “terrorist” activities from Lebanon into Israeli territory, targeting IDF soldiers on the northern border.

Atawi, a leading commander in the armed branch of the Sunni Islamist Jama’a Islamiya known as the Fajr Forces, was killed as he drove from his home to his office in Beirut, a Jama’a Islamiya statement said.

The Fajr Forces fired rockets across Lebanon’s southern border at Israel throughout the year-long war that ended last year in a ceasefire deal. Israeli airstrikes killed several of the group’s members during the conflict.

Since the ceasefire, Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Lebanese territory, mostly against fighters from Lebanese armed group Hezbollah or its arms depots. Israeli troops also still occupy five hilltop positions in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon, Hezbollah and the Jama’a Islamiya have condemned the strikes and Israeli troop presence, calling them violations of the truce and of Lebanon’s sovereignty. Israel says the fighters and weapons pose a threat to Israeli civilians.

(Reporting by Maya Gebeily and Tala RamadanEditing by Ros Russell, William Maclean)