US strike kills senior operative of Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group in Syria

Muhammad Salah al-Za'bir, a senior operative of Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group Hurras al-Din, was killed in a US airstrike in northwest Syria.

Updated on: Jan 31, 2025, 07:32:28 IST

By HT News Desk

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The US military said it killed Muhammad Salah al-Za'bir, senior operative of an Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group, in an airstrike in northwest Syria on Thursday.

File photo: This picture shows a damaged mobile military radar at a Syrian army position near the city of al-Safira, south of Aleppo on January 3, 2025. (AFP/Representative)

The airstrike was part of an ongoing effort to disrupt and degrade militant groups in the region, the US Central Command said in a statement.

Muhammad Salah al-Za'bir belonged to the Hurras al-Din group.

In an unrelated parallel development, Palestinian militant group Hamas on Thursday confirmed the death of its military leader Mohammed Deif in an Israeli strike, months after the Israel Defense Forces announcement, Times of Israel reported.

Also Read: Hamas confirms killing of its military leader, months after Israeli airstrike

Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida confirmed the death of Dief in a video statement.

Abu Obeida also confirmed the deaths of the deputy commander of Hamas's military wing; Ghazi Abu Tama'a, head of combat support; Raad Thabet, the military wing chief of staff; Rafa'a Salameh, commander of the Khan Younis Brigade; Ayman Nofal, commander of the Central Gaza Brigade; and Ahmed Ghandour, commander of the Northern Gaza Brigade, Times of Israel reported.

Israel had announced in August last year that it killed Mohammed Dief in a July 13 air strike in the Khan Younis area.

In a post on X, IDF had said, "We can now confirm: Mohammed Deif was eliminated."

On October 7, 2023, Hamas attacked southern Israel killing over 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting over 200 others. Over 46,000 Palestinians have been also killed in Gaza in Israel's counter-offensive against Hamas.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza earlier this month, in the first phase of which several rounds of hostage and prisoner exchanges have taken place.

Hamas released eight hostages on Thursday — five Thai farm workers and three dual German-Israeli nationals — in exchange for 110 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

This was the third round of exchanges in the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, which is now in its second week.

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