BEIRUT (Reuters) – An Israeli strike on a constructing in central Beirut on Sunday killed Hezbollah’s media relations chief Mohammad Afif, two Lebanese safety sources advised Reuters, although there was no speedy affirmation from the Iran-backed group.
Israel has not often hit senior Hezbollah personnel who do not need clear navy roles, and its air strikes have principally focused Beirut’s southern suburbs the place the group has its heaviest presence.
A second, separate strike afterward Sunday hit Mar Elias avenue, one other central space not often focused by Israeli bombs, focusing on a car, Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV reported. The Lebanese well being ministry mentioned that strike killed a minimum of two folks.
The Israeli navy declined to remark in response to questions from Reuters in regards to the strike that killed Afif. An Israeli navy spokesperson’s account on the social media platform X that always publishes evacuation orders for areas about to be bombed confirmed no such warning earlier than that strike.
Hezbollah and Israel have been buying and selling hearth for greater than a 12 months, for the reason that group started launching rockets at Israeli navy targets on Oct. 8, 2023. That was a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 folks, Israeli authorities say.
In late September, Israel expanded its navy marketing campaign in Lebanon, closely bombing the south and east and the southern suburbs of Beirut alongside floor incursions alongside the border.
Israel’s marketing campaign in Lebanon has within the final 12 months killed 3,841 folks and wounded almost 15,000 others, the Lebanese well being ministry mentioned on Sunday, giving a toll that didn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Hezbollah rockets fired throughout the border have killed dozens of Israelis, together with troopers and civilians, Israel says.
A separate assault on the Gaza Strip in Israel’s struggle towards Hamas has killed greater than 43,000 folks, most of them civilians, in line with Palestinian well being officers.
LEBANESE SOLDIERS KILLED
Along with focusing on Hezbollah, the escalation has killed a number of troopers of the Lebanese navy, together with two who died on Sunday when Israel attacked a military publish within the southern city of Al-Mari, the Lebanese military mentioned on X.
Two different troopers have been wounded, it mentioned.
The strike in Beirut focusing on the Hezbollah official hit the Ras al-Nabaa neighbourhood, the place many individuals displaced from the southern suburbs by Israeli bombardment had sought refuge.
The Lebanese safety sources mentioned a constructing housing places of work of the Ba’ath Social gathering had been hit, and the pinnacle of the get together in Lebanon, Ali Hijazi, advised the Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed that Afif had been within the constructing.
The Syrian Social Nationalist Social gathering, one other political get together with ties to Hezbollah, mentioned in an announcement that Afif had been killed however gave no particulars of how or the place. The Lebanese well being ministry mentioned the strike had killed one and injured three.
Ambulances might be heard speeding to the scene, and weapons have been fired to forestall crowds approaching.
The broadcaster later additionally mentioned Afif had been killed.
It confirmed footage of a constructing whose higher flooring had collapsed onto the primary storey, with civil defence staff on the scene.
Afif was a long-time media adviser to Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air assault on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sept. 27.
He managed Hezbollah’s Al-Manar tv station for a number of years earlier than taking up the group’s media workplace.
Afif hosted a number of press conferences for journalists amongst rubble in Beirut’s southern suburbs. In his most up-to-date feedback to reporters on Nov. 11, he mentioned Israeli troops had been unable to carry any territory in Lebanon, and that Hezbollah had sufficient weapons and provides to combat an extended struggle.