Israel has reportedly targeted and killed the media chief of Hezbollah amid escalating tensions in the region. The incident marks a significant development in the ongoing conflict, with both sides exchanging severe retaliatory actions.
A Hezbollah representative has informed the Associated Press that Mohammed Afif, a spokesman for the group, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have not provided any comments regarding the attack.
Without prior warning, Israeli jets targeted central Beirut on Sunday, resulting in multiple casualties at a local office of the Syrian Ba’ath Party. According to a Hezbollah official speaking to AP, Afif was among those who lost their lives.
The strike occurred near a bustling intersection, and an Associated Press reporter on site observed at least four bodies lying in the street afterwards.
The IDF did not reply to requests for comment from either Israeli or international media outlets. Additionally, it did not issue an evacuation order ahead of the attack, a measure it occasionally takes before targeting densely populated areas. During its incursion into Lebanon aimed at eliminating the Hezbollah militant group, the IDF has bombed Beirut numerous times.
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Afif managed Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV station for several years before becoming the group’s spokesperson. He frequently held press conferences amidst the bombed ruins of Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood after Israeli forces assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in September. The following month, he issued a statement claiming responsibility for a drone attack on the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Afif is the most recent senior Hezbollah official to be killed by Israel, following a series of attacks that began in mid-September when the IDF started targeting Beirut. In early October, Israeli ground troops advanced into southern Lebanon. Despite facing strong resistance from Hezbollah fighters, Afif stated last week that the group was gearing up for a “long war” against Israeli forces.
The IDF has confirmed that nearly 50 of its soldiers have died in the ground operation, but Hezbollah asserts that the actual death toll is significantly higher.
According to the country’s health ministry, IDF airstrikes have resulted in over 3,400 deaths in Lebanon since they commenced in September. This total does not distinguish between civilians and Hezbollah militants.
Earlier on Sunday, Israel conducted an additional round of airstrikes in Dahiyeh. In contrast to the attack in central Beirut, the IDF issued an evacuation order prior to targeting Dahiyeh, a suburb located south of Lebanon’s capital and traditionally known as a Hezbollah stronghold. The IDF reports that it has targeted at least 50 Hezbollah sites in this area over the past week.
