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Israel Threatens to Assassinate 4 New Hamas Figures

Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Khaleel al-Hayya in 2017 (AFP)  
Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Khaleel al-Hayya in 2017 (AFP)  
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Israel Threatens to Assassinate 4 New Hamas Figures

Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Khaleel al-Hayya in 2017 (AFP)  
Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Khaleel al-Hayya in 2017 (AFP)  

Israeli security sources revealed on Monday a new Hamas target list that includes the Movement’s former representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, and its spokesperson, Sami Abu Zuhri, the Maariv newspaper reported.

The new list comes shortly after Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz on Saturday threated to assassinate senior figures in both the political and military wings of Hamas, including Izz al-Din al-Haddad, commander of Gaza City Brigade, and Khalil al-Hayya, a prominent member of Hamas’ political bureau.

Under the headline “Top Hamas leaders in Israeli Army’s Sights,” the Maariv newspaper said that following a series of assassinations involving Hamas politburo leaders, Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya al-Sinwar, Israel is now preparing to assassinate four other leaders: Hamdan in Lebanon, Abu Zuhri in Algeria, Izz al-Din al-Haddad in Gaza, and even al-Hayya, a prominent member of Hamas’s political bureau, who is abroad leading negotiations.

Last Saturday, Israel's Shin Bet threatened in a statement to assassinate al-Hayya and al-Haddad.

Katz said: “Izz al-Din al-Haddad is in Gaza, Khaleel al-Hayya is abroad - you are next,” without providing further details.

Since the start of the war on Gaza, Israel has assassinated several Hamas leaders both inside and outside the Strip.

On Monday, Maariv confirmed that last month, eight tons of explosives thrown on a Hamas tunnel system that ran underneath the European Hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, has killed Hamas leader in Gaza Muhammad Sinwar and two of his aides, in addition to the commander of the Rafah Brigade in Hamas, Mohammed Shabana, and central Khan Yunis field commander Mahdi Kawareh.

“The arrows are now directed towards al-Haddad, who survived the attack,” the newspaper wrote.

Last October, the Israeli army had killed Mohammad Sinwar’s brother, Yahya, the leader of Hamas and an early architect of its armed wing.

Al-Haddad is dubbed “The Qassam Ghost” due to his ability to evade capture and survive multiple assassination attempts.

In Hebrew, Maariv wrote, “al-Haddad will meet his companions, (Ismail) Haniyeh, (Mohammed) Deif, and Sinwar.”

It said the next targets are Osama Hamdan, Sami Abu Zuhri and Khalil al-Hayya.

Hamdan currently oversees negotiations and was the Movement’s former representative in Lebanon. Since the start of the war, he served as Hamas spokesperson and resides mostly in Qatar.

Abu Zuhri lives in Algeria and is frequently featured in the media while al-Hayyah is the de facto Hamas leader in Gaza, a member of its leadership council, and one of the negotiators for a ceasefire with Israel.

Since the confirmed death of Muhammed Sinwar, Israel aims to target the men now emerging as the group’s de facto military leaders: al-Haddad, and al-Hayyah.

“It’s official: Mohammed al-Sinwar and Rafah Brigade Commander Mohammed Shabana have been eliminated. Israel’s long arm will reach every individual responsible for the October 7th war crimes, near or far, until all are eliminated,” Katz said in a statement issued Saturday.

Al-Haddad, nicknamed “Abu Suhaib,” commands the Gaza City Brigade of the Qassam Brigades and sits on Hamas’s inner military council.

The Israel army believes that following the elimination of senior Hamas leaders, al-Haddad now serves as the Movement’s leader in the Strip.

 

 

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Arab World

Exceptional School Year: South Lebanon Families Weigh Options Amid War Fears

A member of the Red Cross provides learning activities to children inside a tent at Camille Chamoun Sports City stadium turned into a temporary shelter in Beirut, Lebanon, May 8, 2026. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A member of the Red Cross provides learning activities to children inside a tent at Camille Chamoun Sports City stadium turned into a temporary shelter in Beirut, Lebanon, May 8, 2026. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Exceptional School Year: South Lebanon Families Weigh Options Amid War Fears

A member of the Red Cross provides learning activities to children inside a tent at Camille Chamoun Sports City stadium turned into a temporary shelter in Beirut, Lebanon, May 8, 2026. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A member of the Red Cross provides learning activities to children inside a tent at Camille Chamoun Sports City stadium turned into a temporary shelter in Beirut, Lebanon, May 8, 2026. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

For many families in southern Lebanon, choosing a school is no longer a decision made months in advance.

With September approaching, parents are still weighing where to enroll their children, watching the security situation and recalling the upheaval of the past two years, when thousands of students were kept out of classrooms, families were displaced and schools shifted from in-person to remote learning.

The uncertainty has produced starkly different choices. Some families are enrolling children in schools in the areas where they were displaced.

Others are opting for lower-cost public schools in case classrooms are forced to close again. Some are seeking schools in safer areas that stayed open during the previous war.

A displaced woman with children sits outside a school-turned-shelter, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Beirut, Lebanon, March 3, 2026. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Normally, most Lebanese schools, particularly private ones, complete enrollment by the end of the previous academic year, allowing the new school year to begin with student lists already finalized.

This year, some schools are keeping registration open through the first two weeks of September as parents hesitate over where to send their children.

“I enrolled my children, but I still haven’t bought their books,” said Abeer, a mother of three.

“Every day I look at the book lists and wonder: Should I wait, or pay for them and have the same thing happen as in the past two years? I’ll wait until mid-September before deciding.”

For Maryam, safety means keeping school close to home.

“My son is in first grade. I enrolled him in the public school near us in the village,” she said. “That way, if anything happens, I can pick him up quickly and flee at any moment.”

Parents from border areas who do not expect to return home soon are among those searching for schools where they have been displaced.

Others are turning to public schools, known for their lower fees, wary of paying high tuition only for schools to close again.

Some families are taking another approach: looking for schools in safer areas that managed to keep classrooms open during the previous war.

For parents reluctant to repeat the experience of remote learning, that has become a key condition.

“We decided to stay in the area where we were displaced,” said Um Ahmad. “So I looked for a school that did not close during the war and enrolled my children there.”

“I don’t believe remote learning is as beneficial as in-person education,” she said. “There is also the severe psychological strain that war places on my children and on us adults alike. So I believe in-person learning is better as long as it remains possible.”

A displaced man, who fled his home after an Israeli evacuation order, sits in a university-turned shelter in Sidon, Lebanon, April 13, 2026. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

Schools prepare for both scenarios

Schools are facing the same uncertainty.

Several schools in southern Lebanon outside areas exposed to bombardment are preparing to open for the new academic year, but they are not assuming in-person learning will remain possible throughout it.

One private school in Nabatieh told parents it was preparing to “adopt in-person learning whenever security conditions allow.”

The message reflects a broader effort by schools to prepare for either in-person or remote teaching, depending on developments on the ground.

The approach is also in line with the Education Ministry’s plan for the 2026-27 academic year, which seeks to keep education running according to conditions in each area: in-person teaching where safety and preparedness allow, and remote learning in areas affected by the security situation.

Between school and home, safety comes first

Some families have made the opposite calculation, choosing remote learning as the safer option.

Leila’s children had been attending a secondary school in Toul, in the Nabatieh district. She decided to move them to another school in Zebdine after their former school said it would return to in-person teaching next year, while the new school announced it would continue remotely.

“I’ll keep them with me at home,” she said. “That will feel safer to me.”

People shelter at a school, which is hosting displaced people, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Lebaa, Lebanon, March 15, 2026. REUTERS/Raghed Waked

The Tarhini family made a similar choice from abroad.

They left for Africa after the war broke out and enrolled their children in a Lebanese school offering remote learning while they waited for the situation to stabilize.

“The political and battlefield developments do not bode well, and it seems the war will undoubtedly return,” the father said, adding that the family’s decision gave him greater peace of mind for now.

Arab World

Barrack: Israeli Strike on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur Base Sought to Bait Türkiye

Abu al-Duhur airbase following strikes, Syria, August 18, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Abu al-Duhur airbase following strikes, Syria, August 18, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
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Barrack: Israeli Strike on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur Base Sought to Bait Türkiye

Abu al-Duhur airbase following strikes, Syria, August 18, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Abu al-Duhur airbase following strikes, Syria, August 18, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

The Israeli strike on the Abu al-Duhur military base in northern Syria near the Turkish border last Tuesday, may have been intended to provoke Ankara and is considered a “very dangerous game,” US Special Envoy to Syria and Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack said on Saturday.

Eight Israeli airstrikes hit the airbase early Tuesday, targeting the runway and storage facilities, Syria’s state-run Al-Ikhbariya had reported.

In response, Ankara accused the Netanyahu government of using “cheap politics” for electoral gain and seeking to portray Türkiye as a new threat.

According to Barrack, the incident escalated from another Israeli strike in Syria into a moment that could have triggered a far more dangerous regional confrontation.

The ambassador invoked the downing of a Russian jet in late 2014 that escalated regional tensions.

In a YouTube interview with podcast host Mario Nawfal and in comments to PBS NewsHour, Barrack said the incident in which Israeli jets, without advance warning, struck the airbase in Syria - around 80 kilometers east of the Turkish border - intended to “bait” or provoke Ankara.

He described a situation in which fighter jets operate near a border without coordination or warning as a “very dangerous game.”

Last Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described the airstrikes as a warning to Türkiye against expanding its military presence in Syria or helping rebuild the Syrian armed forces.

In return, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told Axios that Damascus had previously informed Israel there were no plans to establish a Turkish military base at Abu al-Duhur, which was being rehabilitated for use by the Syrian Air Force.

For its part, the Turkish presidency rejected the Israeli allegations as “baseless,” accusing Netanyahu of promoting them ahead of Israel’s October elections and calling on the international community to curb Israeli actions threatening regional peace and stability.

Barrack said Israel might have received intelligence indicating Turkish military personnel or military assets could be stationed at the Syrian base.

According to Barrack, Israel raised the concern with the United States about six days before the strike.

“We have some intelligence that there might be Turkish movement into this site, which we would be very concerned about,” Barrack said about the message delivered to Washington.
Barrack then confirmed reports that Mossad chief Roman Gofman had spoken with al-Shaibani several days before the strike to convey Israel’s concerns. He described the talks as a two-hour, in-depth conversation.

Despite those contacts, Israeli forces struck the base’s runways without Türkiye receiving advance warning of the operation.

Scenarios of Israeli Strikes on Abu Al-Duhur Base

According to Barrack, one possibility that led to the strikes on Abu al-Duhur is that “the Israelis were baiting the Turks.”

He directly linked this possibility to Israeli politics, saying that the strike may have been a “very aggressive but maybe a well-received pre-election concept.”

He added that another possible reason for the attack on Abu Duhur was a miscommunication between the Israeli military and the country’s intelligence agency.

Barrack said it was likely that Israel had intelligence suggesting Türkiye may be bolstering its presence in the area and “a commander somewhere in the field made a decision ‘We’re not going to let that happen’... What they didn’t do is tell us or Türkiye.”

Barrack said the Turkish leadership exercised “maximum restraint and patience” when they saw Israeli aircraft, and that they did not allow tensions to escalate into direct conflict.

He told PBS NewsHour that Türkiye had explicitly stated it has no aggressive intentions or posture toward Israel and does not want to participate in any military operation or direct conflict. “What the Turks want is a sovereign and independent Syria, and that is what we, Israel, and all the countries of the region want,” he said.

While the American diplomat acknowledged “Israel's legitimate security concerns,” he stressed that diplomacy and maintaining open channels of communication “are a priority under the current circumstances.”

Cheap Politics

For its part, Ankara said the Netanyahu government is seeking to portray Türkiye as a new threat as part of “cheap politics” aimed at gaining an electoral advantage.

Türkiye's Communications Directorate on Friday warned that Israel's increasingly aggressive threat rhetoric poses serious risks to regional and global stability.

It said the “cheap politics” pursued by Netanyahu and his associates, which it said was also designed to secure an advantage in elections, has no resonance in Israeli society, the region, the international community or Türkiye.

The directorate strongly rejected remarks by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office concerning President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The office on Friday called Erdogan an “antisemitic dictator.”

The directorate described the comments as an “impertinent rant” devoid of historical facts and political seriousness and another sign of the desperation of an administration seeking to evade accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Arab World

Blast Targets Security Forces’ Bus Near Damascus, Causing Injuries

Injuries were reported among the passengers. (SANA)
Injuries were reported among the passengers. (SANA)
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Blast Targets Security Forces’ Bus Near Damascus, Causing Injuries

Injuries were reported among the passengers. (SANA)
Injuries were reported among the passengers. (SANA)

An explosive device targeted a bus carrying security forces near the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday, resulting in injuries among the passengers, state media reported.

"An explosive device targeted a bus carrying Internal Security Forces personnel on the Maarounah-al-Tal road in Damascus countryside, leaving several personnel injured," state news agency SANA reported.

"Authorities are investigating the attack and working to identify those responsible," the news agency added, without immediately providing further details.

It published pictures showing a badly damaged bus at the side of a road, with its windows and one of its doors blown out, with glass scattered on the front seat.

Syria's authorities have faced significant security challenges since overthrowing longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, with Damascus and its suburbs the site of multiple attacks.

Earlier in August, a bus blast wounded 14 people in Jaramana, a town near Damascus.

In July, two blasts went off near a hotel where visiting French President Emmanuel Macron had been staying, though he was not in the facility at the time.

That blast killed one person and wounded 36 others, with authorities later saying they had arrested those responsible, adding that they were part of the ISIS group.