Hezbollah, an armed group in Lebanon, said that Mohammad Afif, its head of media relations, was killed Sunday by an Israeli assault on a building in the heart of Beirut.
Hezbollah, an armed group in Lebanon, said that Mohammad Afif, its head of media relations, was killed Sunday by an Israeli assault on a building in the heart of Beirut.Israel's airstrikes have largely targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah is most prevalent, and it has hardly ever targeted top Hezbollah members who do not have obvious military involvement.
After initially declining to comment, Israel's military said in a statement late Sunday that it had "eliminated" Afif. One person was killed and three injured in the hit, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
Later on Sunday, Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV reported that a second, independent strike had struck Mar Elias Street, another major location that Israeli bombers rarely target. According to the Lebanese health ministry, the strike left 22 people injured and at least two dead.
Since the group started firing rockets at Israeli military targets on October 8, 2023, Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging gunfire for over a year. Hamas, its Palestinian ally, had stormed southern Israel the day before, killing some 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials.
Israel increased the scope of its military assault in Lebanon in late September, conducting ground incursions along the border and severely bombing Beirut's south and east as well as its southern suburbs.
Since the group started firing rockets at Israeli military targets on October 8, 2023, Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging gunfire for over a year. Hamas, its Palestinian ally, had stormed southern Israel the day before, killing some 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials.
Israel increased the scope of its military assault in Lebanon in late September, conducting ground incursions along the border and severely bombing Beirut's south and east as well as its southern suburbs.
The Lebanese health ministry reported on Sunday that Israel's assault in Lebanon has killed 3,841 people and injured around 15,000 more in the past year. The figure did not differentiate between militants and civilians.
Israel claims that dozens of Israelis, including soldiers and civilians, have been murdered by Hezbollah rockets fired across the border.
Palestinian health officials say more than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed in a separate attack on the Gaza Strip in Israel's battle against Hamas, the majority of them were civilians.
Israel claims that dozens of Israelis, including soldiers and civilians, have been murdered by Hezbollah rockets fired across the border.
Palestinian health officials say more than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed in a separate attack on the Gaza Strip in Israel's battle against Hamas, the majority of them were civilians.
KILLED LEBANESE SOLDIERS
The Lebanese army claimed on X that the escalation has killed multiple soldiers, including two who were killed on Sunday when Israel targeted an army position in the southern town of Al-Mari, in addition to attacking Hezbollah.
It stated two other soldiers were injured.
The Ras al-Nabaa neighborhood, where many individuals who were driven from the southern suburbs by Israeli shelling took shelter, was struck in Beirut by the attack that targeted the Hezbollah official.
The Lebanese army claimed on X that the escalation has killed multiple soldiers, including two who were killed on Sunday when Israel targeted an army position in the southern town of Al-Mari, in addition to attacking Hezbollah.
It stated two other soldiers were injured.
The Ras al-Nabaa neighborhood, where many individuals who were driven from the southern suburbs by Israeli shelling took shelter, was struck in Beirut by the attack that targeted the Hezbollah official.
The head of the Ba'ath Party in Lebanon, Ali Hijazi, told the Lebanese station Al-Jadeed that Afif had been in the building after Lebanese security sources said that a building holding the party's offices had been struck.
Guns were fired to keep crowds from coming, and ambulances could be heard racing to the area.
Video of a structure with collapsed upper levels and civil defense personnel on the scene was shown by the Lebanese TV.
Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed on September 27 in an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, had Afif as a longtime communications adviser.
Guns were fired to keep crowds from coming, and ambulances could be heard racing to the area.
Video of a structure with collapsed upper levels and civil defense personnel on the scene was shown by the Lebanese TV.
Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed on September 27 in an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, had Afif as a longtime communications adviser.
For a number of years, he oversaw Hezbollah's Al-Manar television station before assuming control of the organization's media office.
Among the debris in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Afif held multiple press conferences for reporters. In his latest remarks to reporters on November 11, he said that Hezbollah had enough supplies and weapons to wage a protracted battle and that Israeli troops had failed to capture any land in Lebanon.
Among the debris in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Afif held multiple press conferences for reporters. In his latest remarks to reporters on November 11, he said that Hezbollah had enough supplies and weapons to wage a protracted battle and that Israeli troops had failed to capture any land in Lebanon.
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