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Israeli forces reportedly struck the chief of staff of Lebanon's Iran-aligned faction the Hezbollah organization in a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, per the office of the Israeli PM on Sunday.

This represented the first strike in several months on the southern district of the Lebanese capital, an zone recognized for hosting Hezbollah officials.

Target Named as Ali Tabtabai

The objective of the attack was the commanding officer Ali Tabtabai, according to an source from Israel informed about the strike and a security official in Lebanon. The prime minister's office did not confirm whether the official was fatally wounded.

American Notification Particulars

A high-ranking American official indicated that Israel did not notify the US administration in advance about the operation, according to a social media post.

The official added that the US government was informed following the strike, and a second senior US official mentioned that the US had had information for several days that Israeli forces was intending to increase attacks in Lebanon.

History on the Military Leader

The US imposed restrictions on Tabtabai in 2016, labeling him as a key Hezbollah military leader and announcing a reward of up to five million dollars for details on him.

Strike Details and Consequences

The airstrike impacted a primary street in Beirut's southern suburbs, where residents reported hearing the sound of jets before the detonation.

Residents hurried out of their residences out of concern of more bombings, as stated by a correspondent in the region.

No fewer than two individuals were killed and two dozen were injured and transported to medical facilities in the area, as reported by medical sources.

There was no prompt response from the group.

Recent Israel's Campaign

Israeli strikes on the Lebanese faction over the recent period have eliminated its ex-head Hassan Nasrallah, a large portion of the group's top military brass and about thousands of militants.

Comments from Prime Minister

The prime minister told his cabinet on Sunday morning before the attack that the country would persist to fight “terrorism” on several fronts.

“We shall carry on to do all that is required to stop Hezbollah from re-establishing its ability to endanger our security,” he said.

Wider Context

Israeli forces has increased airstrikes in south Lebanon, continuing a operation of near-daily attacks that it states is aimed to hinder a military revival by Hezbollah in the boundary zone.

Israeli authorities has charged the group of seeking to restock weapons since a American-endorsed peace agreement last year.

The group claims it has complied with conditions for it to terminate its military presence in the frontier area near Israel, and for the national army to station there.