JERUSALEM

The Israeli army announced on Monday that it had assassinated Hasan Okasha, a military leader for the Hamas group in Syria, alleging he was involved in firing rockets toward Israel.

In a brief statement, the Israeli army disclosed that the operation took place in Beit Jinn town, located in the Rif Dimashq province in southwestern Syria.

However, details about how Okasha was killed were not provided.

The Israeli army said Okasha was responsible for directing groups to fire rockets toward Israel, and stressed that it will not tolerate any threats from the Syrian territory.

The Hamas group is yet to confirm the incident.

According to the Israeli public broadcaster KAN, the Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades in Syria includes dozens of members and is active in Palestinian refugee camps in Damascus and southern Syrian areas.

Last week, Israel assassinated the deputy chief of the Hamas group Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut, according to a statement by the group.

Tension across Israeli borders with Lebanon and Syria erupted following the Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7 which has so far left 23,084 Palestinians killed.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar