🔗 Share this article Israel Target Lebanese group Military Leader in Lebanese capital Raid The Israeli military allegedly targeted the top military official of the Lebanese Iran-backed faction the Hezbollah organization in a operation on the capital's southern district, per the office of the Israeli PM on the weekend. This represented the initial strike in several months on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, an region known for sheltering officials from the group. Target Named as Ali Tabtabai The objective of the operation was the commanding officer Ali Tabtabai, as reported by an source from Israel knowledgeable of the incident and a Lebanese security source. The prime minister's office did not state whether Tabtabai was fatally wounded. US Alert Particulars A senior US official indicated that Israel did not notify Washington prior about the strike, per a social media post. The official noted that the US government was alerted right after the strike, and a another American official mentioned that the US had had information for days that Israeli forces was planning to increase operations in Lebanon. Background on the Military Leader The United States levied restrictions on the Hezbollah official in recent years, classifying him as a prominent military figure in the group and announcing a incentive of up to $5m for details on him. Attack Details and Aftermath The strike struck a main road in the capital's southern suburbs, where residents mentioned detecting the sound of warplanes before the blast. Civilians rushed out of their residences out of apprehension of more bombings, as stated by a journalist in the zone. No fewer than two people were fatally wounded and two dozen were injured and taken to medical facilities in the region, according to health officials. There was no prompt response from the organization. Recent Israel's Campaign Attacks by Israel on Hezbollah over the past couple of years have eliminated its former leader Hassan Nasrallah, a large portion of the high-ranking commanders and about 5,000 fighters. Comments from Israeli Leadership The Israeli leader told his cabinet on the morning of the incident before the attack that Israel would continue to fight “terrorism” on various arenas. “We shall carry on to do everything needed to prevent the group from rebuilding its capacity to threaten us,” he stated. Wider Situation Israel has escalated air attacks in the southern region, pressing a campaign of regular assaults that it says is designed to block a resurgence of forces by Hezbollah in the frontier region. Israel has charged Hezbollah of attempting to acquire arms since a truce supported by the US last year. The faction claims it has abided by conditions for it to cease its armed deployment in the border region near Israel, and for the national army to station there.