Israeli strike kills Islamic Group commander in Lebanon's Bekaa

A commander of the Islamic Group in Lebanon was killed in an Israeli drone strike early on Thursday in the country's east.

Mohammad Jabbara was killed after the vehicle he was travelling in was hit on a road in the village of Ghazze in the Western Bekaa district, the state-run National News Agency reported.

He was a senior commander of the Fajr Forces, the Islamic Group's militant arm which is affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood and has joined the fight in southern Lebanon against Israel.

There was no immediate statement from Israel regarding the strike.

Several members of Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, or the Islamic Group, have been killed by Israel since October last year, when cross-border fighting erupted between Hezbollah and the Israeli military.

While most of those killed in Israeli strikes have been members of the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah Shia group, some members of the Sunni Islamic Group, the Shia Amal Movement militia, and other Lebanese and Palestinian factions have died.

Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians and its ally, Hamas, since the start of the Gaza war. It is the worst violence between Israel and the Lebanese group since the 2006 summer war.

While Israel has mainly struck targets in Lebanon's south, it has sometimes carried out raids deeper into Lebanese territory such as the Bekaa and other areas, claiming to kill militants.

On Wednesday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said his group will hit new targets in Israel if civilians in Lebanon are targeted, hours after five Syrians, including three children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon.

Among the more than 400 people killed in Lebanon since October, about 100 are civilians, including three journalists and more paramedics.

Israel says about 17 of its soldiers and about a dozen civilians have died, but Hezbollah believes the number to be higher.

Western-led diplomatic efforts are trying to find a settlement between Israel and Lebanon, as fears grow about the break out of all-out war.

Both Israel and Hezbollah have warned each other of devastating consequences in the event of a fully-fledged war.