An Israeli drone strike in a Lebanese port city kills a Hamas member

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BEIRUT (AP) — An Israeli drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon killed an official with the Palestinian militant group Hamas early Wednesday, authorities said.

Hamas said in a statement that Khaled Ahmad al-Ahmad, who was a member of its military wing, was killed while he was on his way to a mosque to attend dawn prayers.

The Israeli military confirmed that it had targeted al-Ahmad, saying he was a commander with Hamas in south Lebanon and was behind several attacks against Israel.

Since Hamas' attack on southern Israel triggered the war on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel’s military has targeted members of the group in Lebanon, where Hamas has a military presence.

The group has also carried out rocket attacks from Lebanon since the Israel-Hamas war began, and in recent weeks Lebanese authorities detained several men linked to Hamas on suspicion of firing rockets toward Israel.

Lebanese authorities warned Hamas last week that it would face the “harshest measures,” if it carried out any attacks from Lebanon.