Israel targets senior Hezbollah figure in Beirut strike, at least five killed
The US imposed sanctions on him in 2016, describing him as a key Hezbollah military leader and offering a reward of up to $5m for information on his activities
Israel has carried out an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs which it says was aimed at a senior Hezbollah military commander.
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Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed on Sunday that Israel had targeted Ali Tabtabai, the chief of staff of the Iran-aligned group, in a strike on the Lebanese capital’s Dahiyeh district.
The statement did not say whether the operative was killed.
It was the first Israeli airstrike on the region in months, and Lebanon's Health Ministry said at least five people were killed and 28 others have been wounded.
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An Israeli source briefed on the operation and a Lebanese security source both identified Tabtabai as the intended target.
The US imposed sanctions on him in 2016, describing him as a key Hezbollah military leader and offering a reward of up to $5m for information on his activities.
A senior US official told Axios that Washington was not notified beforehand.
In a post on X, an Axios reporter said the administration was informed immediately after the strike, and another senior official confirmed the US had known “for days” that Israel planned to escalate its operations in Lebanon.
Israel did not issue an evacuation warning.
The strike hit a main road in the busy Haret Hreik neighbourhood, with residents reporting the sound of warplanes moments before the explosion.
A Reuters journalist at the scene said people fled apartment buildings fearing further strikes.
Dozens of people were seen crowding around a destroyed apartment building, which was covered in smoke. in a video posted on social media.
Hezbollah has not issued an immediate response.
Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli prime minister told his cabinet that operations against the group would continue.
Israeli strikes over the past two years have killed former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, senior commanders and an estimated 5,000 fighters, as Israel presses a campaign of near-daily operations in southern Lebanon.
Israel accused Hezbollah of attempting to rebuild its military presence despite the US-backed ceasefire agreed last year.
Hezbollah maintains it has complied with requirements to pull back from the border region and for Lebanese troops to take over security duties there.