Mourners and members of al-Jamaa al-Islamiya take part in the funeral of commander Mohammed Jamal Ibrahim, killed the previous day in an Israeli air strike, in the village of al-Habbariye in southern Lebanon on March 11, 2024. (Credit: Rabih Daher/AFP)
BEIRUT — Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya announced Thursday that it would "continue to repel Israeli aggression and defend the national partnership" following the recent expansion of its activities on the southern Lebanon front.
The Sunni political party, which was established in the 60s as a Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood and has close ties with Hamas, re-established its armed wing "al-Fajr Brigades" (Dawn Forces) following the opening of the front between Hezbollah and Israel on Oct. 8. The Brigades have lost five members since then. Three of them were killed at the beginning of the March and the other two were killed in the Israeli strike that claimed the life of a senior Hamas official, Saleh al-Arouri, in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Jan. 2.
On Wednesday, seven young rescue workers were killed in an Israeli air strike that demolished a medical center affiliated with al-Jamaa al-Islamiya in the village of Hebbarieh, Hasbaya district.
In the Thursday statement, the party said its role "complements the responsibility of the Lebanese state” in the face of Israel’s territorial ambitions. Similar to Hezbollah, al-Jamaa al-Islamiya accuses Israel of wanting to "annex several parts of the region after completing the liquidation of the Palestinian question." Among the disputed areas are Shebaa Farms, the Golan Heights, and the hills of Kfar Shuba.