Israeli Airstrike Kills Palestinian Leader in Lebanon, Escalates Regional Tensions
The strike, confirmed by the Israeli military, also claimed six lives and wounded ten others
An Israeli airstrike near the Masnaa border crossing in eastern Lebanon on Thursday afternoon killed Mohammed Wishah, a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), along with his bodyguard, Mufid Hussein, as they traveled to Syria. The strike, confirmed by the Israeli military, also claimed six lives and wounded ten others, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).
The Israeli army stated that Wishah, a key figure in the PFLP’s central committee, was targeted for coordinating with militant groups and bolstering ties with Iran’s “axis of resistance.” Wishah had assumed the role of the PFLP’s top security official in Syria following the death of his predecessor in a September airstrike in Beirut.
Senior PFLP official Marwan Abdel-Al mourned the loss, writing on social media, “We have lost two loyal comrades who gave their lives for freedom.” Wishah, born in Gaza in 1954, had spent five years in Israeli jails after joining the PFLP in 1973. The PFLP, a prominent secular faction within the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, has been a frequent target of Israeli operations.
Also Read: Chilling Confession: Man Poisons Lover, Dumps Body in River
The airstrike follows a pattern of Israeli actions against Palestinian officials in Lebanon since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023, including a September strike that killed three PFLP members in Beirut. On Friday morning, another Israeli drone strike on a coastal highway in south Lebanon killed citizen journalist and Hezbollah member Mohammed Shehadeh, underscoring the ongoing intensity of Israeli operations targeting Hezbollah and allied groups.
