The drone attack hit a car 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
An Israeli drone strike that hit a car 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the Lebanese capital, Beirut, killed at least two people, but a Hamas official who was the target survived the attack, security sources told Al Jazeera.
Two missiles fired by an Israeli drone hit the Hamas official's vehicle in the coastal town of Jadra on Saturday and two bystanders were killed in the attack, Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reported from Beirut.
The two victims were civilians, a Lebanese Civil Defense official told the AFP news agency.
The Hamas official targeted in the attack was close to Saleh al-Arouri, the Hamas deputy chief killed last month in a suspected Israeli attack in a Beirut suburb, a security source said.
The Times of Israel reported that the person attacked was Basel Salah, describing him as a Hamas recruiter in Gaza and the West Bank.
The attack was the second in Lebanon this week beyond the border region with Israel.
“This was deep in Lebanon, approximately 60 kilometers [37 miles] from the border with Israel, outside the battlefield where the Israeli army and the Lebanese group Hezbollah have been exchanging fire, caused by the war in Gaza,” Khodr said.
Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire almost daily since October 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israeli territory that killed about 1,100 people. The Israeli military then launched a ground, air and ground attack on Gaza that left more than 28,000 people dead.
However, regular exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli army have been mainly limited to the border region.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas in Lebanon or the Israeli military.
“We are no longer on the front line”
Al Jazeera's Khodr said this was “not the first attack” of its kind.
“On Thursday, an Israeli drone attacked a vehicle in the southern city of Nabatieh, also outside the battlefield, targeting Hezbollah members.
“This is becoming a strategy on the part of the Israelis; What is clear is that there is no longer a front line,” he stated.
“In January, Hamas' number two was assassinated in the heart of the Lebanese capital. “The Israelis are taking this opportunity to attack Hezbollah and Hamas officials, as well as to try to degrade Hezbollah's capabilities in southern Lebanon.”
On Saturday, Hezbollah said it had seized an Israeli Skylark drone over Lebanese airspace “in good condition.” The Skylark is a small unmanned aerial vehicle typically used for surveillance.
After Saturday's attack, the group issued two statements alleging attacks on Israeli soldiers.
The first attacked a “gathering of Israeli enemy soldiers” with rockets on the heights of Hadab Aita, hitting them directly, a statement read. The second statement said that a building in al-Manara housing Israeli soldiers was attacked and directly hit. This attack, Hezbollah said, was “in response to Zionist attacks on villages and civilian homes in the south.”
Lebanese officials and Western diplomats have said Hezbollah has expressed openness to US diplomatic efforts to ensure calm on the border with Israel once a ceasefire is established in Gaza.
