Jerusalem, Dec 24 (IANS) Israel's military and Shin Bet security agency announced that they had killed Muhammad Ahmed Albec, the head of the National Security Directorate of Hamas' Security Services, in an airstrike on a school in Gaza.

At least eight people were killed in the strike Sunday on the Musa bin Nusair school in Gaza City's Daraj al-Tuffah neighbourhood, which was sheltering displaced people, according to Palestinian health officials.

The Israeli military and Shin Bet claimed in a joint statement that a Hamas command center was located within the school compound, which was struck by the Air Force, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The Security Directorate of Hamas produces intelligence assessments that aid in Hamas' decision-making, and is also responsible for the security of senior Hamas members, providing them with hideouts to ensure the continuation of their military activities," the statement said. It described Albec as "a central figure" in Hamas' security apparatus.

Meanwhile, two people were killed and a third was injured on Monday in an Israeli drone strike on the village of Taybeh in southern Lebanon, according to official media reports and military sources.

The National News Agency reported that the airstrike targeted a group of people near a school in Taybeh.

A source from the Lebanese Red Cross told Xinhua that its crews transferred two bodies and an injured person from Taybeh to a hospital in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon.

A Lebanese military source, who requires anonymity, told that an Israeli drone fired an air-to-ground missile at a public square near the school in Taybeh, killing two people and injuring another.

The Israeli army also fired heavy machine gun rounds towards the outskirts of the town of Naqoura in southern Lebanon, the source added.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) issued a statement on Monday calling on all parties to stop violations of UN resolution 1701 and refrain from any actions that would jeopardise the cessation of hostilities and the current fragile stability.

"The UNIFIL strongly urges accelerating the progress of the Israeli army's withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army there," according to the statement.

A ceasefire, brokered by the US and France, went into effect on November 27, aiming to halt nearly 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The terms of the ceasefire agreement include Israel's withdrawal from Lebanese territory within 60 days, the deployment of the Lebanese army along the Lebanese-Israeli border and in southern Lebanon to take over security, and a ban on the presence of weapons and militants in the area.

Courtesy Media Group: IANS

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