Overnight from Sunday into early Monday, September 30, Israeli forces targeted the Cola area of Beirut, marking the first time they have struck outside the city’s southern suburbs since launching their extensive bombing campaign on Lebanon last Monday.
The strike hit the upper floor of an apartment building, leaving four people dead and four others injured, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) confirmed that three of its leaders were among the dead.
Israel’s military has not commented on the strike.
The three PFLP leaders have been identified as Muhammad Abdel Aal, a member of the group’s political bureau and head of military security; Imad Odeh, a key figure in the military department and commander in Lebanon; and Abdul Rahman Abdel Aal, described as a “comrade martyr hero.”
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) was founded in 1967 by George Habash as a coalition of Marxist-Leninist and Arab nationalist groups after Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and the capture of East Jerusalem.
Its military wing, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, operates in Gaza and has coordinated with Hamas. Both the political and military wings of the PFLP have been designated as “terrorist organizations” by the EU and the US.
The PFLP advocates for the establishment of a democratic Palestinian state throughout all of historic Palestine, achieved through armed struggle. Despite not being one of the largest Palestinian factions, the PFLP remains an important part of the Palestinian resistance landscape, according to Al Jazeera.
Israel appears to be expanding its targets beyond Hezbollah and Hamas, now also striking PFLP leaders. Recent Israeli attacks in Yemen and Syria also indicate a broader campaign, not limited to Hezbollah and Hamas.