Palestinian Islamic Jihad top commander Mohammad Abdullah reportedly killed by Israel in West Bank
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF), which is continuing its offensive against Iran-backed militant groups, has stated that a top commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) has been killed in an airstrike.?Muhammad Abdullah, the regional head of PIJ in the Tulkarem area, was killed during an airstrike at Nur Shams camp in the central West Bank on Thursday.??
Who is Muhammad Abdullah
'Abdullah, who became the commander after his predecessor, Muhammad Jabber, also known as Abu Shujaa, was killed in a gun battle in late August, was killed alongside another unnamed PIJ operative. The Palestinian health ministry said on Friday that two people were killed in an Israeli strike on Nur Shams.??
According to the IDF, Abdullah was responsible for organising the group¡¯s activities in the area, including ¡°many attacks.¡±??
What is?Palestinian Islamic Jihad
PIJ is one of several Iran-backed Palestinian militant groups operating in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. Like Hamas, the PIJ, which was founded in 1981, is a Sunni militant outfit that got its start from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. However, like other Palestinian militant groups fighting Israel in the region, PIJ has also been influenced and funded by Iran.?
Role in current conflict
PIJ is also part of what is described as the Axis of Resistance, a group of Palestinian militias often operating independently but controlled by Iran. In the ongoing conflict, PIJ has been actively involved in the fighting alongside Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups in both Gaza and the West Bank.??
Ready to defend sovereignty: Iran?
Meanwhile, amid speculation of an impending Israeli retaliation to last week's missile strikes, Iran on Friday said it is "fully prepared to defend its sovereignty."??
Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, said the Islamic Republic "stands fully prepared to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity against any aggression targeting its vital interests and security".??
On October 1, Iran launched close to 200 missiles at Israel, which was seen as Tehran's retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
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