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The Israeli military reportedly struck the chief of staff of Lebanon's Iran-aligned faction Hezbollah in a airstrike on the capital's southern suburbs, per the Israeli prime minister's office on the weekend.

This represented the first airstrike in months on the southern district of the Lebanese capital, an region renowned for housing officials from the group.

Objective Named as Ali Tabtabai

The objective of the attack was the army leader Ali Tabtabai, per an Israeli source knowledgeable of the strike and a Lebanese security source. The prime minister's office did not reveal whether the official was eliminated.

American Alert Particulars

A high-ranking American official stated that Israeli authorities did not alert the US administration in advance about the operation, as mentioned in a social media post.

The authority added that the US government was informed immediately after the incident, and a second senior US official stated that the US had had information for days that Israeli forces was preparing to increase attacks in the country.

History on the Military Leader

The US imposed sanctions on the Hezbollah official in recent years, classifying him as a key military figure in the group and offering a incentive of up to five million dollars for intel on him.

Attack Details and Consequences

The strike struck a primary street in Beirut's southern suburbs, where inhabitants reported detecting the sound of jets before the explosion.

People fled out of their apartment buildings out of apprehension of additional attacks, as stated by a journalist in the region.

At least two people were lost their lives and approximately 24 were injured and transported to hospitals in the area, according to hospital staff.

There was no immediate comment from the group.

Recent Israeli Campaign

Israeli strikes on Hezbollah over the recent period have killed its previous chief the group's past leader, a large portion of the senior military leadership and about 5,000 fighters.

Statements from Israeli Leadership

The Israeli leader told his government ministers on Sunday morning before the attack that the country would continue to fight “terrorism” on various arenas.

“We will continue to do everything needed to stop Hezbollah from rebuilding its capability to endanger our security,” he stated.

Wider Situation

Israeli forces has increased bombing raids in the southern region, advancing a operation of near-daily attacks that it states is designed to block a military revival by the faction in the frontier region.

Israel has charged the group of seeking to acquire arms since a US-backed ceasefire recently.

The group says it has abided by conditions for it to end its military presence in the frontier area near Israel, and for the military forces to deploy there.