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The Israeli military allegedly struck the chief of staff of Lebanon's Iran-backed faction Hezbollah in a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, according to the office of the Israeli PM on the weekend.

This represented the initial strike in several months on the southern suburbs of the capital city, an region known for hosting Hezbollah officials.

Objective Identified as Military Leader

The objective of the operation was the commanding officer Ali Tabtabai, as reported by an Israeli source informed about the incident and a security official in Lebanon. The prime minister's office did not reveal whether Tabtabai was eliminated.

American Notification Details

A high-ranking American official revealed that Israel did not notify the US administration in advance about the operation, per a digital update.

The authority clarified that the administration was informed immediately after the incident, and a another American official said that the US had had information for days that Israel was planning to escalate strikes in Lebanon.

Background on the Target

The US levied restrictions on the Hezbollah official in recent years, labeling him as a key Hezbollah military leader and announcing a reward of up to five million dollars for intel on him.

Attack Details and Aftermath

The blast impacted a primary street in Beirut's southern suburbs, where inhabitants mentioned hearing the roar of warplanes before the explosion.

Residents rushed out of their apartment buildings out of fear of more bombings, according to a reporter in the region.

No fewer than two individuals were fatally wounded and several dozen were injured and rushed to hospitals in the region, according to medical sources.

There was no prompt response from Hezbollah.

Recent Israeli Operations

Attacks by Israel on the Lebanese faction over the past couple of years have taken the lives of its previous chief the group's past leader, a significant part of the group's top military brass and about 5,000 fighters.

Comments from Israeli Leadership

The prime minister addressed his cabinet on Sunday morning before the strike that Israel would persist to fight “terrorism” on several fronts.

“We will continue to do everything needed to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its ability to pose a danger to us,” he stated.

Wider Context

Israeli forces has escalated air attacks in southern Lebanon, continuing a campaign of regular assaults that it says is aimed to block a military revival by the faction in the boundary zone.

Israel has accused the group of seeking to restock weapons since a truce supported by the US recently.

The group says it has abided by stipulations for it to cease its armed deployment in the frontier area near the Israeli border, and for the national army to deploy there.