Islamic Jihad issues statement following reports of its leader’s assassination

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) issued a statement following reports that its leader, Ziyad al-Nakhalah was targeted in an “Israeli” airstrike on a car in Damascus.

A vehicle was hit near a gathering to mourn Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Al Mazzeh district in Damascus.

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The PIJ’s representative in Syria, Ismail al-Sindawi, denied that the movement’s leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah, nor any of its members, were targeted in the strike.

Hebrew media reported that one of the two people killed in the strike was responsible for transferring arms from Iran to Hezbollah.

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Syria's defense ministry said the “Israeli” strike killed two civilians.

"At approximately 17:05 pm (1417 GMT), the Israeli enemy launched an airstrike targeting a civilian car in the residential neighborhood of Mazzeh in Damascus, killing two civilians and injuring three," the ministry said in a statement.