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The Israeli military allegedly attacked the chief of staff of Lebanon's Iran-backed faction Hezbollah in a strike on the capital's southern district, per the Israeli prime minister's office on the weekend.

This marked the first strike in months on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, an area recognized for sheltering Hezbollah officials.

Target Identified as Military Leader

The objective of the strike was the army leader Ali Tabtabai, as reported by an Israeli source knowledgeable of the strike and a security official in Lebanon. The PM's office did not state whether Tabtabai was eliminated.

US Alert Details

A senior US official stated that Israel did not notify the US administration beforehand about the operation, per a social media post.

The authority clarified that the administration was alerted following the strike, and a second senior US official stated that the United States had had information for several days that Israel was intending to increase strikes in Lebanon.

History on the Military Leader

The United States levied restrictions on Tabtabai in 2016, identifying him as a key military figure in the group and offering a bounty of up to $5m for information on him.

Strike Particulars and Aftermath

The strike hit a central avenue in Beirut's southern suburbs, where residents reported hearing the sound of warplanes before the explosion.

Civilians fled out of their homes out of fear of additional attacks, according to a reporter in the region.

No fewer than two people were lost their lives and two dozen were wounded and taken to hospitals in the region, according to health officials.

There was no prompt response from the group.

Recent Israeli Operations

Attacks by Israel on Hezbollah over the recent period have eliminated its ex-head Hassan Nasrallah, a significant part of the high-ranking commanders and about five thousand combatants.

Statements from Prime Minister

The Israeli leader told his government ministers on the morning of the incident before the strike that the country would carry on to combat “terrorism” on multiple fronts.

“Our efforts will persist to do whatever is necessary to hinder the group from re-establishing its ability to endanger our security,” he said.

Wider Context

Israel has escalated air attacks in the southern region, pressing a operation of frequent strikes that it states is aimed to hinder a resurgence of forces by the faction in the border area.

Israeli authorities has accused the group of attempting to acquire arms since a truce supported by the US last year.

The group asserts it has complied with conditions for it to end its armed deployment in the boundary zone near the Israeli border, and for the national army to position there.