Israeli Drone Strike Kills Four, Including Islamic Jihad Figure, Near Syria-Lebanon Border

On Wednesday, Israeli drones attacked a vehicle on the Syrian side of the Syria-Lebanon border, on the Beirut-Damascus highway. The strike killed at least four people, according to reports.

Among the slain was Fares Qasem, a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Two additional PIJ members were killed, as was a Hezbollah member, identified by that organization as Muhammad Taha.

There was no word from either PIJ or Hezbollah as to what the figures’ roles were. Israel, however, claimed that Qasem was a member of the PIJ Operations Division, and was responsible for recruiting and enlisting Palestinians into Hezbollah.

The car attacked was not carrying weapons, according to reports, and Israeli comments did not indicate why the car was targeted. Israel has been carrying out attacks in Lebanon and Syria at a growing rate in recent months.

This attack came after a late Tuesday strike against a pickup truck in northeastern Lebanon. Israeli sources claimed the truck was carrying weapons. Other sources said it was carrying a damaged rocket launcher being sent for repair.

Last week, Israel carried out airstrikes against central Syria, killing at least three people, who were not identified but were reportedly from Shi’ite militias. The international community has been trying to negotiate a deal which would prevent a regional war breaking out.