Israel targets key Hezbollah official in first attack on Beirut in months
Despite the ceasefire, Israel launched an airstrike on the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital Beirut for the first time in months, targeting a senior member of the Hezbollah militant group.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the target was Hezbollah’s chief of staff. Israeli media reports identified him as Ali Tabtai, describing him as the group’s number two.
Lebanon’s health ministry said at least five people were killed and 28 others were injured in the attack, which hit an apartment building in the densely populated Dahieh district. It is not yet clear whether the person killed was Tabtai.
Hezbollah confirmed that the attack targeted a senior commander but did not identify him.
The attack came as Israel stepped up its campaign against individuals and targets it said were linked to Hezbollah, the Shiite Muslim group backed by Iran, despite a ceasefire brokered by the United States and France that came into effect last November.
Israeli officials say Hezbollah is trying to rebuild its military capabilities, smuggling weapons into Lebanon, increasing production of explosive drones as an alternative to rockets and missiles, and growing fears of an escalation of hostilities.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Israel’s actions were a violation of the agreement that ended 13 months of conflict and called on the international community to put pressure on Israel, which continues to occupy at least five places in southern Lebanon, to stop attacks and withdraw from the country.
The Lebanese government has vowed to disarm Hezbollah, but the group has rejected calls to discuss the future of its weapons before halting Israeli attacks, withdrawing from Lebanon completely and releasing Lebanese prisoners.
A Western diplomatic official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the BBC that officials were under pressure from a Trump administration growing impatient with slow progress against the group, which is designated a terrorist organization by countries including the United States and Britain.
The latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah broke out when the Lebanese group began firing rockets at Israeli positions the day after Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. Hezbollah said it was acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Lebanese officials said Israel’s attacks killed nearly 4,000 people, including many civilians, and displaced more than 1.2 million people. Israeli officials said more than 80 soldiers and 47 civilians were killed in the clashes.
The US government sanctioned Tabtai in 2016 and declared him a terrorist. A $5 million (£3.8 million) reward is being offered for information about him.
