🔗 Share this article Israel Attack Hezbollah Military Leader in Lebanese capital Airstrike The Israeli military reportedly targeted the top military official of the Lebanese Iran-aligned faction the Hezbollah organization in a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, as stated by the office of the Israeli PM on the weekend. This represented the initial attack in several months on the southern district of the capital city, an region known for housing officials from the group. Objective Identified as Military Leader The target of the attack was the military official Ali Tabtabai, as reported by an source from Israel knowledgeable of the incident and a security official in Lebanon. The PM's office did not confirm whether the official was fatally wounded. American Notification Particulars A senior US official revealed that Israeli authorities did not notify Washington beforehand about the operation, according to a digital update. The official noted that the US government was notified right after the strike, and a second senior US official said that the US had had information for days that Israel was planning to intensify operations in the country. History on the Military Leader The US imposed penalties on the Hezbollah official in recent years, classifying him as a critical Hezbollah military leader and providing a reward of up to five million dollars for intel on him. Strike Particulars and Consequences The blast hit a primary street in the capital's southern area, where locals mentioned hearing the noise of warplanes before the detonation. Residents hurried out of their apartment buildings out of concern of further strikes, per a journalist in the region. No fewer than two individuals were lost their lives and two dozen were wounded and taken to hospitals in the area, as reported by hospital staff. There was no immediate comment from the organization. Recent Israel's Campaign Attacks by Israel on Hezbollah over the past couple of years have taken the lives of its ex-head Hassan Nasrallah, a large portion of the high-ranking commanders and about thousands of militants. Comments from Israeli Leadership The prime minister told his government ministers on the morning of the incident before the attack that Israel would persist to fight “militant activities” on multiple fronts. “We shall carry on to do everything needed to hinder Hezbollah from restoring its capability to endanger our security,” he declared. Broader Context Israeli forces has stepped up air attacks in southern Lebanon, advancing a initiative of regular assaults that it says is designed to hinder a rebuilding of capabilities by Hezbollah in the boundary zone. Israel has alleged the group of trying to rearm since a American-endorsed peace agreement last year. The group asserts it has complied with requirements for it to cease its armed deployment in the boundary zone near the Israeli border, and for the national army to position there.