Israeli car attack in Lebanon kills al-Jamaa al-Islamiya leader

An Israeli strike on a car in Lebanon has killed the leader of al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, the group has confirmed.

Hussein Atwi was killed as he was travelling from his home to his office in Beirut near the town of Baaouerta in the Chouf district of Mount Lebanon.

In a statement the group said it condemned "the assassination of leader Hussein Atwi" and that it "held the Zionist enemy responsible".

Atwi was a leading commander of the armed branch of the group, the Fajr Forces, which were involved in rocket launches across Lebanon's southern border to Israel.

The Israeli military confirmed the attack, claiming that Atwi "was involved in planning and advancing terrorist activity from Lebanon into Israeli territory, in order to attack [Israeli] soldiers on the northern border".

"Over the years, he carried out rocket attacks, coordinated terrorist infrastructure on the northern front, and advanced attempts to infiltrate into Israeli territory," the statement added.