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Israeli forces allegedly struck the top military official of Lebanon's Iran-backed group 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 district of the capital city, an area known for housing officials from the group.

Objective Named as Military Leader

The target of the operation was the army leader Ali Tabtabai, per an Israeli source informed about the incident and a security official in Lebanon. The prime minister's office did not state whether the official was killed.

American Alert Details

A high-ranking American official stated that Israel failed to inform Washington in advance about the strike, according to a online report.

The official noted that the administration was notified right after the strike, and a another American official said that the US had had information for several days that Israel was planning to intensify attacks in the country.

History on the Military Leader

The US levied restrictions on the Hezbollah official in 2016, labeling him as a prominent military figure in the group and announcing a reward of up to five million dollars for intel on him.

Attack Details and Aftermath

The strike struck a central avenue in Beirut's southern suburbs, where residents mentioned noticing the roar of jets before the explosion.

Civilians fled out of their homes out of apprehension of more bombings, as stated by a reporter in the area.

No fewer than two individuals were killed and several dozen were hurt and taken to medical facilities in the vicinity, per medical sources.

There was no prompt response from the group.

Ongoing Israeli Campaign

Israeli strikes on the Lebanese faction over the recent period have eliminated its former leader Hassan Nasrallah, much of the high-ranking commanders and about 5,000 fighters.

Comments from Prime Minister

The Israeli leader told his cabinet on the morning of the incident before the attack that the country would carry on to combat “terrorism” on several fronts.

“We shall carry on to do whatever is necessary to hinder the group from re-establishing its capability to threaten us,” he stated.

Broader Situation

Israel has escalated air attacks in south Lebanon, advancing a operation of near-daily attacks that it states is designed to prevent a rebuilding of capabilities by the faction in the frontier region.

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

The group claims it has abided by conditions for it to terminate its military presence in the frontier area near Israel, and for the military forces to station there.