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The Israeli military allegedly struck the chief of staff of the Lebanese Iran-aligned group Hezbollah in a airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, as stated by the Israeli prime minister's office on the weekend.

This marked the initial attack in several months on the southern district of the Lebanese capital, an region renowned for sheltering officials from the group.

Objective Identified as Military Leader

The objective of the strike was the army leader the Hezbollah chief of staff, per an Israeli source knowledgeable of the strike and a Lebanese security source. The prime minister's office did not reveal whether Tabtabai was fatally wounded.

American Alert Particulars

A senior US official indicated that Israel did not alert Washington beforehand about the operation, per a social media post.

The official clarified that the administration was alerted immediately after the incident, and a second senior US official stated that the US had had information for days that Israeli forces was planning to increase strikes in the country.

History on the Target

The US enforced sanctions on the Hezbollah official in 2016, labeling him as a prominent military figure in the group and providing a reward of up to five million dollars for information on him.

Attack Details and Consequences

The strike hit a primary street in the capital's southern suburbs, where residents reported detecting the roar of jets before the detonation.

Civilians rushed out of their apartment buildings out of apprehension of more bombings, per a correspondent in the zone.

At least two individuals were fatally wounded and approximately 24 were wounded and taken to clinics in the region, per medical sources.

There was no immediate comment from the organization.

Ongoing Israel's Campaign

Israeli strikes on Hezbollah over the recent period have eliminated its former leader Hassan Nasrallah, a significant part of the group's top military brass and about 5,000 fighters.

Comments from Prime Minister

The Israeli leader informed his government ministers on the morning of the incident before the attack that Israel would persist to fight “militant activities” on multiple fronts.

“Our efforts will persist to do all that is required to prevent Hezbollah from restoring its capability to endanger our security,” he stated.

Broader Situation

Israeli forces has increased airstrikes in southern Lebanon, pressing a operation of near-daily attacks that it claims is aimed to hinder a military revival by the faction in the frontier region.

Israel has accused Hezbollah of attempting to acquire arms since a truce supported by the US last year.

The faction claims it has complied with requirements for it to terminate its armed deployment in the frontier area near the Israeli border, and for the military forces to deploy there.