Hezbollah has confirmed that its senior commander, Ali Tabatabai, was killed in an Israeli air strike in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
In a statement on Sunday evening, Hezbollah mourned Tabatabai as “a key military commander.”
The Israeli army said early on Sunday that it had eliminated Tabatabai in a strike targeting Beirut’s southern suburb.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said that five people were killed and 28 others were wounded in the attack.
The strike took place in Beirut's southern suburbs, a densely populated area, and caused "injuries and significant damage", according to Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he had given the orders for the attack - the latest against a target in Lebanon, despite a year-long ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Reporters at the scene said the strike hit the third and fourth floors of a nine-storey building, with ambulances gathered around it and rescuers inspecting the apartments.
NNA reported three missiles were fired at the building in the Haret Hreik area, damaging vehicles and other nearby structures.
Ceasefire violations
Tensions in southern Lebanon have been mounting for weeks, with the Israeli military intensifying near-daily air raids inside Lebanese territory, claiming to target Hezbollah members and infrastructure.
Sunday's strike, however, was the first on Beirut's southern suburbs since June 5, when Israel claimed it hit a Hezbollah drone factory.
It follows an earlier strike on the southern town of Aita al-Shaab, which the Lebanese health ministry said killed one person.
According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, at least 331 people have been killed and 945 wounded by Israeli fire since the ceasefire took effect on November 27, 2024.
The UN peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL) also reported more than 10,000 Israeli air and ground violations.
Under the ceasefire, the Israeli army was supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon this January, but instead only partially pulled out and continues to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.
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Source: TRT