JERUSALEM / ANKARA 

The Israeli army claimed on Wednesday to have killed a Hamas member in an airstrike in southern Lebanon.

A military statement said Khalid Ahmed Ahmed was killed in the strike that targeted the coastal city of Sidon.

The army claimed that Ahmed was Hamas’ chief of operations in Lebanon’s western sector, accusing him of being responsible for weapons transfer and attacks against Israeli targets.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas or Lebanese authorities on the Israeli statement.

The Lebanese state news agency NNA, citing a health ministry statement, confirmed that one person was killed in an Israeli drone strike on a car in Sidon.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Lebanon since November, ending months of cross-border warfare between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.

Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 3,000 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of nearly 200 people and the injuries of around 500 others.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Israel refused to comply. It still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.