The IDF confirmed on Wednesday that earlier in the day, based on IDF intelligence, the IAF struck and eliminated the terrorist Faris Qasim, a significant terrorist in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization's Operations Division, in the area of the Syrian-Lebanese border.
According to the IDF, Qasim was responsible for the development of the Islamic Jihad's operational plans in Syria and Lebanon. He had a central role in the recruitment of Palestinian terrorists into the Hezbollah terrorist organization responsible for carrying out terrorist attacks from Lebanon against the State of Israel.
"In recent years, the Hezbollah terrorist organization, with Iranian direction and funding, has been systematically recruiting Palestinian operatives to advance and direct terrorist activity against the State of Israel from Lebanese territory," the IDF noted.
Additional Islamic Jihad terrorists who were on their way from Syria to carry out terrorist activities for the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanese territory were eliminated in the strike.
Earlier in the day, reports stated that four people were killed in a strike on a vehicle near the Syria-Lebanon border.
Initially, Al Hadath reported that the drone strike killed Hezbollah operatives; the site later amended its report to say that the four were Islamic Jihad terrorists. Al-Mayadeen reported that the strike took place on the Damascus-Beirut road.
Later, Reuters reported that three of the terrorists belong to the Islamic Jihad terror group, while the fourth is a Hezbollah operative. The report also said that the strike took place on the Syrian side of the border.
Wednesday morning reports also said that on Tuesday night, Israel hit a truck carrying "military equipment" and traveling in northeastern Lebanon.
The sources told Reuters that the strike targeted a vehicle driving near Chaat, but the driver survived. One of the sources said that it is likely that the damaged military equipment was a rocket launcher being transported for repairs.
A Lebanese security source told AFP, on condition of anonymity, that the IAF targeted two Hezbollah trucks about 10 kilometers from Baalbek, Lebanon; one person was wounded in the strike. The IDF did not respond to AFP's request for comment.