Israel Target Hezbollah Chief of Staff in Lebanese capital Airstrike
Israeli forces allegedly struck the chief of staff of Lebanon's Iran-aligned group the Hezbollah organization in a operation on the capital's southern district, per the office of the Israeli PM on Sunday.
This was the initial airstrike in months on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, an zone renowned for housing officials from the group.
Objective Identified as Ali Tabtabai
The target of the strike was the army leader the Hezbollah chief of staff, per an source from Israel informed about the strike and a Lebanese security source. The prime minister's office did not state whether Tabtabai was killed.
US Notification Details
A senior US official stated that Israel did not notify Washington in advance about the strike, according to a social media post.
The official clarified that the administration was notified following the incident, and a another American official said that the US had been aware for several days that Israel was planning to escalate attacks in the country.
Background on the Target
The US levied penalties on Tabtabai in recent years, identifying him as a key Hezbollah military leader and providing a reward of up to $5m for intel on him.
Strike Details and Aftermath
The strike impacted a main road in the capital's southern suburbs, where residents stated noticing the noise of jets before the detonation.
Civilians fled out of their residences out of concern of additional attacks, per a correspondent in the region.
At least two individuals were lost their lives and approximately 24 were wounded and rushed to clinics in the vicinity, per medical sources.
There was no immediate comment from the organization.
Recent Israeli Campaign
Israeli strikes on Hezbollah over the last two years have taken the lives of its previous chief the group's past leader, a large portion of the senior military leadership and about thousands of militants.
Comments from Prime Minister
The prime minister told his cabinet on the morning of the incident before the attack that the country would continue to confront “terrorism” on multiple fronts.
“We will continue to do whatever is necessary to hinder the group from restoring its capability to pose a danger to us,” he stated.
Broader Context
Israel has escalated air attacks in south Lebanon, continuing a operation of near-daily attacks that it claims is designed to prevent a military revival by the faction in the boundary zone.
Israel has alleged the group of trying to restock weapons since a truce supported by the US the previous year.
The group asserts it has abided by requirements for it to cease its troop placement in the border region near the Israeli border, and for the Lebanese army to deploy there.
