Israel claims that in its first attack
Israel claims that in its first attack on Beirut in months, it killed a senior Hezbollah official.
Despite a ceasefire, Israel's military claims to have killed a top Hezbollah member in an airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.
Hezbollah's chief of staff, Ali Tabtai, was regarded as a seasoned member of the organisation who has occupied a number of high-level roles.
The strike, which struck an apartment block in the heavily populated Dahieh area, resulted in at least five fatalities and 28 injuries, according to Lebanon's health ministry.
Hezbollah acknowledged that a senior commander was the target of the attack, but they would not reveal their identify.
Israel hasn't attacked southern Beirut in months.
Despite a ceasefire mediated by the US and France that went into force last November, Israel has intensified its campaign against individuals and targets it claims are connected to Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim organisation backed by Iran.
In addition to sneaking weapons into Lebanon and increasing the production of explosive drones as a substitute for rockets and missiles, Israeli officials claim that Hezbollah has been attempting to strengthen its military capabilities and that there are rising concerns about an escalation of hostilities.
Joseph Aoun, the president of Lebanon, has called on the international community to exert pressure on Israel, which still occupies at least five locations in southern Lebanon, to cease its attacks and leave the country. He claims that Israel's actions are against the terms of the agreement that ended the 13-month conflict.
Hezbollah has refused requests to discuss the future of its weapons until Israel ceases its attacks, completely withdraws from Lebanon, and releases Lebanese captives, despite the Lebanese government's pledge to disarm the group.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Western diplomatic official told the BBC that the Trump administration is putting pressure on the authorities because they are getting impatient with what they perceive to be the sluggish progress against the group, which the US and the UK consider to be a terrorist organisation.
Hezbollah began shooting missiles at Israeli positions the day after the Hamas strikes on October 7, 2023, sparking the most recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Hezbollah claimed to be supporting the Palestinians in Gaza.
According to Lebanese officials, Israel's attacks resulted in the relocation of about 1.2 million people and the deaths of approximately 4,000 persons, many of them civilians. According to Israeli officials, the fighting claimed the lives of 47 civilians and over 80 soldiers.
In 2016, Tabtai was declared a terrorist by the US government, which also placed sanctions on him. A $5 million (£3.8 million) reward is being offered for information regarding him.
He was reportedly in charge of Hezbollah's special forces in Syria and Yemen, according to the US, which also noted that his operations there were a part of a broader Hezbollah effort to supply personnel, supplies, and training "in support of its destabilising regional activities."
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