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Israeli forces allegedly targeted the top military official of Lebanon's Iran-backed faction the Hezbollah organization in a operation on Beirut's southern district, per the office of the Israeli PM on Sunday.

This represented the initial airstrike in several months on the southern suburbs of the capital city, an zone renowned for housing officials from the group.

Target Named as Ali Tabtabai

The target of the strike was the army leader the Hezbollah chief of staff, per an source from Israel briefed on the incident and a Lebanese security source. The PM's office did not state whether Tabtabai was fatally wounded.

American Alert Details

A high-ranking American official indicated that Israeli authorities did not alert Washington in advance about the operation, per a digital update.

The authority added that the administration was informed right after the incident, and a second senior US official mentioned that the US had known for days that Israeli forces was planning to intensify attacks in Lebanon.

Background on the Target

The US levied restrictions on Tabtabai in recent years, classifying him as a key military figure in the group and announcing a reward of up to $5m for information on him.

Strike Details and Aftermath

The strike impacted a primary street in Beirut's southern suburbs, where inhabitants reported hearing the noise of jets before the explosion.

Residents hurried out of their apartment buildings out of apprehension of additional attacks, per a correspondent in the zone.

No fewer than two individuals were lost their lives and several dozen were hurt and transported to medical facilities in the vicinity, as reported by hospital staff.

There was no prompt response from the organization.

Recent Israeli Campaign

Israeli strikes on the Lebanese faction over the recent period have eliminated its ex-head the group's past leader, much of the senior military leadership and about 5,000 fighters.

Statements from Israeli Leadership

The prime minister informed his government ministers on the morning of the incident before the strike that Israel would persist to combat “terrorism” on various arenas.

“We shall carry on to do everything needed to prevent Hezbollah from restoring its capability to threaten us,” he stated.

Broader Context

Israeli forces has stepped up airstrikes in southern Lebanon, advancing a initiative of frequent strikes that it says is aimed to prevent a military revival by the faction in the boundary zone.

Israel has accused Hezbollah of seeking to restock weapons since a truce supported by the US last year.

The faction claims it has complied with conditions for it to end its armed deployment in the boundary zone near the Israeli border, and for the Lebanese army to deploy there.