The Israeli military has killed Islamic Jihad’s top commander in Lebanon, the Israel Defence Forces said on Monday.

“Abu Hamza Rami carried out hundreds of terrorist attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians, including recruiting and training terrorists and procuring weapons,” the IDF said on X.

Mr 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.

It added, “His elimination has significantly degraded PIJ’s ability to carry out terrorist operations against Israel.”

The PIJ is a terrorist organisation allied with the 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 U.S. bases in several Gulf states.

In response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the joint U.S.-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.

(dpa/NAN)