The IDF on Thursday targeted and killed Muhammad Wishah, aka “Abu Khali,” a senior Syrian terrorist in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP), in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley.
“The terrorist was responsible for coordinating with other terrorist organizations, strengthening ties and coordination with the Shi’ite axis, and recently operated to advance military operations against Israeli targets,” the military said.
Abu Khali was appointed head of the PFLP’s Military-Security Department in Syria, after his predecessor, Shantal Al Aal, was killed in a hideout in Beirut in September 2024, the IDF continued.
“The PLFP is a long-standing terrorist organization with a history of carrying out various terrorist attacks against Israelis in Israel and around the world,” the IDF said.
On Wednesday night, the Israel Defense Forces attacked Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon, hitting weapons storage facilities, a missile launcher and engineering equipment used to rebuild terrorist infrastructure, the military said.
The IDF accused Hezbollah of continuing efforts to reestablish terrorist capabilities across Lebanon while using civilians as human shields.
“The presence of weapons and Hezbollah activity in the area constitutes a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the military stated, adding that it “will continue to operate to protect the State of Israel.”
The strikes were the latest in a series of Israeli military operations targeting the Lebanese terror group in recent days.
On Tuesday night, Israel killed senior Hezbollah commander Hassam Qassem Ghrab in an airstrike in the Bekaa Valley.
Ghrab was responsible for directing terrorist cells in Syria that were planning rocket attacks on the Golan Heights, according to the IDF.
The strike followed another targeting a Hezbollah terrorist in Southern Lebanon the previous day.
The counter-terror operations come as Beirut continues discussions on removing weapons from non-state actors, including Hezbollah. The process was prompted by U.S. demands for the Lebanese government to disarm the Iranian terrorist proxy.
Hezbollah began launching missiles and drones into northern Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, the day after the Hamas-led massacre.
Last fall, Hezbollah’s leadership suffered significant losses from a series of Israeli operations targeting its communications equipment, followed by intense airstrikes on its rocket arsenal.
A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect on Nov. 27.
