In a dramatic escalation across two fronts, the Israeli military has claimed responsibility for the targeted killings of a founding member of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza and a senior Hezbollah intelligence commander in southern Lebanon. According to Al Jazeera, the Israeli military announced that Hakam Mohammad Issa al-Issa, a key founding figure in Hamas’s armed wing, was killed during close-quarter clashes in Gaza City.
In a detailed statement, the military described al-Issa as “a senior commander and one of the architects of Hamas’s military infrastructure,” adding that he had played a central role in shaping the group’s operational capabilities over the years. Al-Issa reportedly served as head of the Hamas training headquarters and was a member of its General Security Council.
The statement also alleged that al-Issa was instrumental in planning and executing the October 7 attacks on Israel—marking him as a high-value target. Hamas has not commented on the Israeli claims.
Simultaneously, in southern Lebanon’s Mahrunah region, the Israeli military claimed it conducted a precision airstrike that killed Abbas al-Hassan Wahbi, intelligence chief of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force Battalion.
Wahbi, according to the Israeli military, was actively engaged in reviving Hezbollah’s operational networks and overseeing weapons transfers—a move Israel says directly violated longstanding ceasefire understandings between Tel Aviv and Beirut.
The Israeli statement accused Wahbi of spearheading activities that posed an imminent threat to Israeli national security, framing the operation as part of a broader pre-emptive strategy.
Despite these claims, independent confirmation remains unavailable, and Hezbollah has yet to issue an official response.
It is worth noting that while Israel accuses Hezbollah of repeated ceasefire violations, international observers have documented near-daily Israeli breaches of the truce since late last year.
