Israel Announces Targeting of Second-in-Command in Hezbollah

A powerful explosion shook the southern suburbs of Beirut this Sunday afternoon, following an Israeli airstrike that Tel Aviv claimed targeted a prominent Hezbollah leader "precisely."

Al Jazeera's correspondent reported hearing a loud explosion followed by the sound of Israeli aircraft flying over the area, marking a notable escalation after days of consecutive airstrikes on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.

Israeli media reported that the target of the operation in the southern suburbs was Abu Ali al-Tabtabai, the second-in-command in Hezbollah.

This development comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed his commitment to continue striking Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, asserting that his government "will do whatever is necessary" to prevent both groups from rebuilding their strength or threatening Israeli security.

At the start of the weekly government meeting on Sunday, he stated, "The army struck targets in Lebanon this week, and we will continue to act without hesitation to prevent Hezbollah from solidifying its ability to threaten us."

Over the past week, the Israeli army intensified its strikes on targets in Lebanon, announcing the bombing of rocket launch platforms and weapons depots belonging to Hezbollah. Saturday witnessed one of the bloodiest days since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in Gaza, with civil defense reporting 21 fatalities from Israeli strikes.

In Gaza, the Israeli army stated it targeted Hamas sites after an armed individual fired at its soldiers and crossed the "yellow line" that separates the forces from the territory under the ceasefire agreement established on October 10.

Netanyahu accused the movement of committing "several attempts" to infiltrate across the line, asserting that his forces "thwarted those attempts with great force" and killed several militants.

The war between the two sides erupted in October 2023, and the extensive Israeli military operations in Gaza have resulted in over 69,000 fatalities, according to the health ministry in the territory. Since the ceasefire agreement took effect, an additional 339 people have been killed in the sector.