Israeli airstrike in Beirut kills Hezbollah official

An Israeli airstrike in Beirut's Ras al-Nabaa neighborhood killed Mohammad Afif, Hezbollah's media relations chief, according to Lebanese security sources and Israeli media. The strike targeted a building in this densely populated district, destroying it and causing casualties.

Afif had served as Hezbollah's media relations official since 2014 and was previously a media advisor to former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September. He also managed Hezbollah's Al-Manar television station.

The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) confirmed the targeted assassination, claiming Afif was involved in directing operations against Israel. The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported one death and three injuries from the strike. The Israeli military declined to comment on the operation, and no evacuation order was issued for the area beforehand.

This strike represents another escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which intensified following Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Since last October, Lebanese health authorities report over 3,400 deaths, 14,600 injuries, and the displacement of more than 1 million people due to Israeli attacks.

The conflict expanded further when Israel launched a ground assault into southern Lebanon on October 1, despite international concerns about the risk of regional war escalation.

Also Israel killed four people and injured several others in an airstrike targeting homes in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that Israel intensified airstrikes on cities and towns in the Tyre district, starting earlier and continuing into the evening.

The airstrikes on Borj Rahhal destroyed several homes, killing two people and injuring several others, said the agency.

It reported that the Lebanese Civil Defense retrieved two bodies from under the rubble of a house bombed by warplanes in the town of Ramadiyeh.