BEIRUT (Reuters) -An Israeli strike on a constructing in central Beirut on Sunday killed Hezbollah’s media relations chief Mohammad Afif, two Lebanese safety sources informed Reuters, although there was no instant affirmation from Hezbollah.
Israel has not often hit senior Hezbollah personnel who don’t have clear army roles, and its air strikes have principally focused Beirut’s southern suburbs the place Hezbollah has its heaviest presence.
The Israeli army declined to remark in response to questions from Reuters. An Israeli army spokesperson’s account on the social media platform X that always publishes evacuation orders for areas about to be bombed confirmed no such warning earlier than this strike.
Hezbollah and Israel have been buying and selling hearth for greater than a 12 months, because the Iran-backed group started launching rockets at Israeli army targets on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas carried out a lethal assault on southern Israel.
In late September, Israel dramatically expanded its army marketing campaign in Lebanon, closely bombing the south and east and the southern suburbs of Beirut alongside floor incursions alongside the border.
Along with concentrating on Hezbollah, the escalation has killed a number of troopers of the Lebanese army, together with two who died on Sunday when Israel attacked a military submit within the southern city of Al-Mari, the Lebanese military mentioned on X. Two different troopers have been wounded, it mentioned.
ADVISER TO NASRALLAH HOSTED PRESS CONFERENCES IN BEIRUT,
The strike on Beirut hit the Ras al-Nabaa neighbourhood, the place many individuals displaced from the southern suburbs by Israeli bombardment had sought refuge.
The safety sources mentioned a constructing housing places of work of the Ba’ath Get together had been hit, and the top of the get together in Lebanon, Ali Hijazi, informed the Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed that Afif had been within the constructing.
The Syrian Social Nationalist Get together, one other political get together with ties to Hezbollah, mentioned in an announcement that Afif had been killed however gave no particulars of how or the place. The Lebanese well being ministry mentioned the strike had killed one and injured three.
Ambulances may very well be heard dashing to the scene, and weapons have been fired to stop crowds approaching.
The broadcaster later additionally mentioned Afif had been killed. It confirmed footage of a constructing whose higher flooring had collapsed onto the primary storey, with civil defence employees on the scene.
Afif was a long-time media adviser to Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air assault on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sept. 27.
He managed Hezbollah’s Al-Manar tv station for a number of years earlier than taking up the group’s media workplace.
Afif hosted a number of press conferences for journalists amid the rubble in Beirut’s southern suburbs. In his most up-to-date feedback to reporters on Nov. 11, he mentioned Israeli troops had been unable to carry any territory in Lebanon, and that Hezbollah had sufficient weapons and provides to combat an extended battle.
