Israel Announces Elimination of Islamic Jihad Commander
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Jerusalem, Dec 31 (NationPress) The Israeli military declared on Tuesday that the Israeli Air Force successfully targeted and killed Anas Muhammad Saadi Masri, the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement’s rocket unit in northern Gaza, in a precise airstrike carried out in early December.
The military's statement revealed that Masri was pivotal in orchestrating rocket assaults from northern Gaza aimed at civilians and military personnel in southern Israel, particularly during the violent Hamas offensive last October.
The military has committed to persist in targeting individuals linked to the alleged assaults on Israeli civilians.
The PIJ has not yet issued a response to the Israeli announcement, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
Israel has been executing a comprehensive military operation in the Gaza Strip as a countermeasure to a Hamas-led incursion across the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1200 fatalities and around 250 hostages.
On Sunday afternoon, militants in the Gaza Strip launched about five rockets towards southern Israel, according to the Israeli military.
The rocket fire activated air raid sirens in Sderot and other nearby areas adjacent to the Palestinian enclave, yet no injuries were reported.
According to the military, two of the rockets were successfully intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-rocket defense system, while the remainder likely landed in uninhabited areas.
Last week, Israeli defense officials confirmed that an Israeli military commander lost his life during combat operations in the Gaza Strip.
Amit Levi, aged 35, a squad commander in an elite infantry and paratrooper brigade known as the “Arrows of Fire”, was reported to have fallen in combat in central Gaza, as stated by the army on Thursday.
According to Israel’s state-owned Kan TV, Levi was killed by fire from Palestinian militants in the “Netzarim Corridor” of central Gaza, an area that is presently under military control. Army forces have established new bases in this region.
Levi’s death marked the 822nd Israeli soldier fatality since the onset of Israel’s ongoing conflicts on multiple fronts starting last October.
