Israel killed a commander of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in an airstrike on southern Lebanon on Friday, further testing a ceasefire that halted last year's war between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Israel has been attacking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on a routine basis since the cease-fire was signed last November. David Schenker is a senior fellow at the Institute for Near East Policy and a former assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs during the Trump administration.

Israel said it had scaled up a ground offensive in northern Gaza as part of an operation to extend so-called "security zones" that provide a protective buffer along the border with Israel.

Israeli troops moved into an area of northern Gaza taking control of more territory around the edge of the enclave, the military said on Friday, days after the government announced plans to seize large areas with an operation in the south.

Israeli strikes killed more than a dozen people in the Gaza Strip early Friday, as Israel sent more ground troops into the Palestinian territory to ramp up its offensive against Hamas. At least 17 people,

Effie Defrin refers to its new plan as “operational ambiguity” — holding back details to “surprise the enemy.” The anti-Israel New York Times calls the plan a shifting of “the goal posts,” yet Jerusalem’s goals — rescuing hostages,