An Iraqi militia commander was killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike on Friday, days after his group vowed to struggle Israel over the pager explosions in Lebanon.
The Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah mentioned Abu Haidar al-Khafaji was killed in a “Zionist assault” at daybreak in Damascus. Khafaji had been working as a safety advisor within the space, the group mentioned in an announcement on Telegram.
Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy working in Iraq and Syria, broadcasts the dying of a member in an alleged Israeli airstrike close to Damascus this morning.
The phobia group in an announcement says Abu Haidar al-Khafaji served as a safety advisor within the Damascus space. pic.twitter.com/RQ47fHB03K
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 20, 2024
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported {that a} Kataib Hezbollah commander had been killed in a drone assault that focused his car on the highway to the Damascus airport early Friday morning. The drone was “believed to be Israeli,” in response to the pro-opposition conflict monitor, which didn’t determine the commander.
Khafaji had beforehand fought towards “Takfiri-Wahabi gangs” in Syria, together with on the Sayyidah Zaynab mosque, and took part in battles towards the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq, in response to the Kataib Hezbollah assertion.
Iran and its proxies seek advice from Sunni Islamist teams, together with ISIS and the Syrian rebels, as “takfiri,” an Arabic time period used to explain “infidels” in response to Islam. ISIS attacked the Sayyidah Zaynab mosque in 2016.
Why it issues: Israel is suspected of finishing up common strikes towards Iranian and Iran-backed militia targets all through Syria, though it not often discusses its operations overseas. Earlier this month, the Syrian authorities mentioned that 18 folks had been killed in Israeli strikes within the central Hama province.
The strike towards Kataib Hezbollah, one of the outstanding Iran-backed militias in Iraq, follows Israel detonating pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon utilized by Lebanese Hezbollah members earlier this week. The incident left 37 lifeless, together with civilians.
Following the preliminary pager explosions on Tuesday, Kataib Hezbollah vowed to assist its Lebanese namesake.
“We’re totally ready to go together with them till the tip, sending fighters and gear and assist, whether or not on the technical or logistical stage,” the group mentioned in an announcement.
The US navy has additionally carried out strikes towards Kataib Hezbollah in response to assaults on American forces within the area.
Know extra: The battle between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah has escalated for the reason that pager explosions. Heavy Israeli airstrikes hit southern Lebanon on Friday, whereas Hezbollah fired greater than 150 rockets towards northern Israel.
