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The Israeli military allegedly targeted the top military official of the Lebanese Iran-backed faction Hezbollah in a operation on the capital's southern district, as stated by the office of the Israeli PM on Sunday.

This marked the first strike in months on the southern district of the capital city, an area recognized for housing Hezbollah officials.

Objective Named as Ali Tabtabai

The focus of the attack was the army leader the Hezbollah chief of staff, according to an source from Israel knowledgeable of the incident and a security official in Lebanon. The prime minister's office did not reveal whether the official was eliminated.

US Notification Details

A senior US official indicated that Israel did not notify the US administration beforehand about the operation, as mentioned in a online report.

The official noted that the US government was alerted right after the incident, and a second senior US official stated that the United States had been aware for days that Israel was preparing to escalate attacks in the country.

History on the Target

The US imposed penalties on Tabtabai in 2016, labeling him as a critical military figure in the group and announcing a reward of up to five million dollars for intel on him.

Strike Details and Consequences

The blast hit a primary street in the capital's southern area, where inhabitants stated hearing the sound of aircraft before the explosion.

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

No fewer than two people were lost their lives and several dozen were hurt and transported to hospitals in the area, as reported by hospital staff.

There was no prompt response from the group.

Recent Israel's Operations

Attacks by Israel on the Lebanese faction over the last two years have taken the lives of its former leader the group's past leader, a significant part of the high-ranking commanders and about 5,000 fighters.

Comments from Prime Minister

The Israeli leader addressed his government ministers on the morning of the incident before the strike that the country would carry on to fight “terrorism” on various arenas.

“Our efforts will persist to do all that is required to stop the group from re-establishing its capacity to endanger our security,” he declared.

Broader Situation

Israeli forces has increased airstrikes in south Lebanon, advancing a campaign of near-daily attacks that it claims is aimed to prevent a resurgence of forces by Hezbollah in the boundary zone.

Israel has accused Hezbollah of seeking to restock weapons since a American-endorsed peace agreement recently.

The group asserts it has followed conditions for it to cease its armed deployment in the boundary zone near the Israeli border, and for the Lebanese army to position there.