Figure close to Hamas survives Israeli strike in Lebanon, 3 others killed (updated)

SKYLARK HOLDINGS

10/02/2024 12:42

(Adds another Israeli strike in paragraph 6)
       BEIRUT, Feb 10 (Reuters) - An Israeli strike about 60 km
(40 miles) inside Lebanon's southern border on Saturday targeted
a Palestinian figure close to Hamas but he survived, four
security sources said.
    Three other people were killed, including one member of the 
powerful, Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, a Hamas
ally, the security sources also told Reuters.
    One source said the person targeted was close to Saleh
al-Arouri, the Hamas deputy chief killed last month in a
suspected Israeli strike on a suburb of Beirut. 
    Saturday's strike was much deeper into Lebanese territory
than the usual exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel's
military, which have been mostly limited to the border region.
    There was no immediate comment from Hamas in Lebanon or from
the Israeli military.    
        An Israeli strike on a group of people outside a mosque
in the town of Houla later on Saturday killed one civilian and
wounded at least six more, according to Dr. Mohammad Hamadi,
head of the Tebnin Hospital, where the casualties were
transferred.
  
    Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging near-daily fire
since Oct. 7 when Hamas launched an attack on Israeli territory
in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 taken
hostage into the Gaza Strip.
    Israel's military then launched a land, air and ground
assault on Gaza that has left more than 27,000 people dead.
    On Saturday, Hezbollah said it had seized an Israeli Skylark
drone over Lebanese air space "in good condition". 
    The Skylark is a small, unmanned aerial vehicle typically
used for surveillance and produced by Israel-based weapons
manufacturer Elbit Systems  ESLT.TA .
    Lebanese officials and Western diplomats have said Hezbollah
has signalled its openness to U.S. diplomatic efforts to secure
calm on the border with Israel once a ceasefire is in place in
Gaza.
    Hamas this week proposed a ceasefire of 4-1/2 months, during
which remaining hostages would go free, Israel would withdraw
its troops and agreement would be reached on an end to the war.
    Netanyahu said Hamas' terms, offered in response to a
proposal drawn up by U.S. and Israeli spy chiefs with Qatar and
Egypt, were "delusional" and vowed to fight on.

 (Reporting by Maya Gebeily and Laila Bassam, Writing by Adam
Makary; Editing by Toby Chopra, Andrew Cawthorne and Giles
Elgood)
 ((Adam.Makary@thomsonreuters.com;))