Israel targets Hezbollah leadership in rare strike on Beirut – Firstpost

Israel launched an airstrike on southern Beirut on Sunday – its first strike in the region since early June – in an operation targeting Hezbollah’s second-most senior leader.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the IDF carried out the attack “in the center of Beirut, targeting Hezbollah’s chief of staff, who had led the organization’s construction and arms efforts,” CNN reported.

An Israeli source told CNN that the intended target was Haitham Ali Tabatabai, widely considered to be Hezbollah’s effective number two. The source said battle damage assessment was still ongoing and it was not clear whether Tabatabai was killed or not.

Netanyahu approved the strike on the recommendation of the defense minister and the IDF chief of staff, his office said.

“Enemy aircraft attacked the southern suburbs of Beirut, resulting in casualties and significant damage,” Lebanon’s state news agency said.

This is a developing story.