Israel eliminates a Fatah leader in southern Lebanon

A Palestinian leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (AMB) , linked to Fatah, was killed Wednesday in an Israeli air strike near the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, a Fatah official and a Lebanese security source told AFP.

It is the first time since the start of the exchange of fire at the Israel-Lebanon border just over 10 months ago that a senior official of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' organization has been killed.

Jalil Maqdah, leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military arm of Fatah, "was targeted in the Israeli attack on Sidon," said a senior Fatah official, Fathi Abu Al-Aradat.

The BMA is designated by both Israel and the United States as a terrorist group, unlike Fatah. Since 2007 the relationship between the two organizations has been less close than it previously was. AMB receives support from and operates in coordination with Iran and Hezbollah.

The Israeli army confirmed an air raid against Jalil al-Maqdah, whom they accused, together with his brother Munir Maqdah, of "acting on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards" and of being "involved in the organization of terrorist attacks."

In a joint statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet claimed that the Maqdah brothers have been working from Lebanon with Iran to transfer money and weapons to terror organizations in the West Bank.

The IDF attack targeted Maqdah's vehicle as it drove through an open field. An AFP correspondent saw a flaming car from which rescue teams pulled a corpse. The IDF released images of the attack.