Israeli Strikes in Lebanon Kill 3 Including Hezbollah Commander, Sources Say

 Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Majdel Zoun, on April 15, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Majdel Zoun, on April 15, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
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Israeli Strikes in Lebanon Kill 3 Including Hezbollah Commander, Sources Say

 Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Majdel Zoun, on April 15, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Majdel Zoun, on April 15, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)

Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed three people including a Hezbollah field commander, Lebanese security sources said, an uptick in violence after at least a week of relative calm in more than half a year of hostilities.

The Israeli military said Ismail Baz, killed in a strike on a car near the southern town of Ain Ebel, was the commander of Hezbollah's coastal sector and was involved in planning rocket and anti-tank missile attacks on Israel.

Hezbollah issued a statement mourning Baz's death but did not elaborate on his role in the organization.

Separate Israeli strikes on two vehicles near the southern town of Chehabiyeh killed at least two Hezbollah members, a security source and a civil defense official said.

Hezbollah and Israel have traded fire in parallel to the Gaza war in the most serious hostilities since they fought a major war in 2006.

The fighting has claimed the lives of at least 370 Lebanese, including more than 240 Hezbollah fighters and 68 civilians, according to a Reuters toll and has fueled concern about the potential for further escalation between regional enemies.

Eighteen Israelis, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed.

Those concerns have mounted following Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel with hundreds of explosive drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles launched on Saturday night to which Israeli officials have vowed to respond.

Iran called the barrage retaliation for an Israeli strike that flattened a building in its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1 and killed two of its generals and several other officers.



Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hamas Likely to Accept Two-Month Gaza Truce Proposal

Palestinians perform funeral prayers over the bodies of victims killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza, Thursday (AFP)
Palestinians perform funeral prayers over the bodies of victims killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza, Thursday (AFP)
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Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hamas Likely to Accept Two-Month Gaza Truce Proposal

Palestinians perform funeral prayers over the bodies of victims killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza, Thursday (AFP)
Palestinians perform funeral prayers over the bodies of victims killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza, Thursday (AFP)

Hamas is leaning toward accepting a US-backed proposal for a two-month ceasefire in Gaza, with a formal response expected within hours, sources from the Palestinian group told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday.

The proposed truce, reportedly accepted by Israel earlier this week according to US President Donald Trump, would mark a major breakthrough in efforts to end the months-long war.

Hamas has begun informing mediators that it intends to respond “positively” either late Thursday or early Friday, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

They did not explain the reason for the delay but said “technical arrangements” were still being finalized. One source described the situation as similar to the lead-up to a previous truce agreement reached in January.

“All indicators are positive,” one Hamas source said. “We are closer than ever to a new agreement. The recent movements clearly show we are in the pre-announcement phase.”

On Wednesday, Hamas leadership referred the proposal to other Palestinian factions for consultation, seeking to secure a united stance on any eventual deal.

However, the deliberations were marked by caution, with one source warning of “traps” in the draft proposal and noting that the clause related to a “clear end to the war” remained vague.

A source close to Hamas told Reuters on Thursday that the group was seeking “guarantees that the American proposal will lead to a permanent end to the war,” as Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip continued to kill dozens, according to medics.

Ceasefire negotiations over the war in Gaza have intensified, with the United States and other mediators pushing for a temporary deal that would pave the way for a second phase of talks aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement to end the 20-month-old conflict, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Despite diplomatic momentum, Israeli airstrikes continued across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing more than 100 Palestinians, including dozens waiting for humanitarian aid, according to local health authorities.

The Hamas-run health ministry said at least 118 people were killed in Israeli attacks from dawn until late Thursday, with 581 others wounded.

In a Facebook post, the ministry said hospitals in Gaza had received the bodies of 118 people in the past 24 hours.

The Palestinian civil defense said its crews retrieved 10 bodies and several wounded after an Israeli strike hit the Mustafa Hafez School, which was sheltering displaced people in western Gaza City early Thursday.