Israeli strikes kill Hamas leaders in Lebanon and three Palestinian leaders in Beirut

BEIRUT, Sept 30 (Reuters) – Palestinian militant group Hamas said an Israeli strike killed its leader in Lebanon on Monday, while another Palestinian militant group said three of its leaders were killed in an attack on Beirut, its first Attack within city limits.

Hamas said its leader in Lebanon, Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin, was killed along with his wife, son and daughter in an attack on their home in a Palestinian refugee camp in the southern city of Tire in the early hours of Monday.

As Israel escalates hostilities against Iran's allies in the region, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said three of its leaders were killed in an attack on Beirut's Kola district.

The strike hit the upper floor of an apartment building, Reuters witnesses said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Israel's increasingly frequent attacks on the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and the Houthi militia in Yemen have raised fears that fighting in the Middle East could spiral out of control and attract Iran and the United States, Israel's key ally.

The PFLP is another militant group involved in the fight against Israel.

Israel launched airstrikes on Sunday against the Houthi militia in Yemen and dozens of Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, after earlier killing the Hezbollah leader.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said more than 1,000 Lebanese were killed and 6,000 injured in the past two weeks, without saying how many of them were civilians. According to the government, one million people – a fifth of the population – have fled their homes.

Israel has vowed to continue the attack and says it wants to make its northern areas safe again for residents who were forced to flee Hezbollah rocket attacks.

Israeli drones hovered over Beirut for much of Sunday, and the loud explosions of new airstrikes reverberated across the Lebanese capital. Displaced families spent the night on benches at Zaitunay Bay, a string of restaurants and cafes on Beirut's coast.

Many of the Israeli attacks were carried out in southern Lebanon, where the Iranian-backed Hezbollah has most of its operations, or in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Monday's attack in Kola district appeared to be the first attack within Beirut city limits. Syrians living in southern Lebanon who had fled Israeli bombardment had been sleeping under a bridge in the neighborhood for days, residents of the area said.

Asked whether an all-out war in the Middle East could be avoided, US President Joe Biden said: “It must be.” He said he would speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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