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Israeli forces reportedly struck the top military official of Lebanon's Iran-backed faction the Hezbollah organization in a airstrike on Beirut's southern district, per the office of the Israeli PM on the weekend.

This was the first strike in months on the southern district of the capital city, an region recognized for hosting Hezbollah officials.

Objective Named as Military Leader

The objective of the operation was the commanding officer Ali Tabtabai, as reported by an Israeli source briefed on the incident and a security official in Lebanon. The prime minister's office did not state whether the official was killed.

American Notification Details

A senior US official revealed that Israeli authorities did not alert Washington beforehand about the airstrike, according to a social media post.

The authority added that the administration was alerted following the incident, and a another American official stated that the US had been aware for several days that Israeli forces was planning to increase attacks in the country.

History on the Target

The United States levied restrictions on the Hezbollah official in recent years, classifying him as a critical Hezbollah military leader and announcing a reward of up to five million dollars for information on him.

Strike Particulars and Consequences

The blast impacted a primary street in the capital's southern suburbs, where locals stated hearing the sound of jets before the detonation.

People rushed out of their homes out of fear of further strikes, per a correspondent in the area.

At least two individuals were lost their lives and several dozen were injured and taken to clinics in the area, per hospital staff.

There was no prompt response from the organization.

Ongoing Israel's Campaign

Attacks by Israel on Hezbollah over the last two years have eliminated its previous chief the group's past leader, a significant part of the senior military leadership and about five thousand combatants.

Comments from Prime Minister

The prime minister informed his government ministers on the morning of the incident before the attack that Israel would carry on to fight “terrorism” on various arenas.

“We will continue to do everything needed to stop the group from re-establishing its ability to pose a danger to us,” he said.

Broader Context

Israeli forces has increased airstrikes in south Lebanon, advancing a operation of near-daily attacks that it claims is designed to block a resurgence of forces by the faction in the border area.

Israeli authorities has accused the group of seeking to acquire arms since a US-backed ceasefire recently.

The faction asserts it has complied with conditions for it to end its armed deployment in the frontier area near Israel, and for the national army to station there.