The Israeli airstrike targeting Hamas’s military leader, Muhammad Deif, in southern Gaza on Saturday followed weeks of surveillance of a compound used by one of his key lieutenants, Rafa Salameh, according to three senior Israeli defense officials.
The Israeli military and the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, said on Sunday afternoon that the strike killed Mr. Salameh, but Mr. Deif’s fate remained unclear.
The strike was authorized after prolonged observation of one of Mr. Salameh’s secret command posts located west of Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza, according to the three senior Israeli officials.
The villa surrounded by palm trees near the Mediterranean Sea belonged to Mr. Salameh’s family, two of the officials said.
All officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the operation’s details.
Persons:
Muhammad Deif, Rafa Salameh, Shin, Salameh, Khan Younis, Salameh’s
Locations:
Gaza, Israel, Khan