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The Israeli military reportedly struck the chief of staff of Lebanon's Iran-aligned faction Hezbollah in a airstrike on Beirut's southern district, according to the office of the Israeli PM on Sunday.

This marked the first attack in months on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, an zone known for sheltering Hezbollah officials.

Objective Named as Ali Tabtabai

The focus of the strike was the military official the Hezbollah chief of staff, per an source from Israel informed about the incident and a Lebanese security source. The prime minister's office did not reveal whether the official was eliminated.

American Notification Particulars

A high-ranking American official revealed that Israeli authorities did not alert Washington in advance about the strike, according to a social media post.

The authority added that the administration was informed right after the incident, and a another American official said that the United States had known for days that Israel was intending to intensify operations in Lebanon.

Background on the Target

The US levied penalties on Tabtabai in recent years, identifying him as a critical Hezbollah military leader and announcing a reward of up to $5m for details on him.

Attack Particulars and Consequences

The blast hit a primary street in the capital's southern area, where inhabitants reported hearing the sound of jets before the blast.

Residents fled out of their residences out of fear of additional attacks, per a journalist in the zone.

At least two people were fatally wounded and several dozen were hurt and transported to medical facilities in the vicinity, per medical sources.

There was no immediate comment from the organization.

Recent Israeli Campaign

Israeli strikes on the Lebanese faction over the last two years have killed its previous chief Hassan Nasrallah, much of the high-ranking commanders and about thousands of militants.

Comments from Prime Minister

The Israeli leader addressed his government ministers on Sunday morning before the attack that the country would persist to combat “terrorism” on multiple fronts.

“We shall carry on to do all that is required to stop the group from rebuilding its capability to endanger our security,” he said.

Broader Context

Israeli forces has escalated bombing raids in south Lebanon, continuing a operation of regular assaults that it states is aimed to block a resurgence of forces by the faction in the border area.

Israel has alleged Hezbollah of seeking to acquire arms since a truce supported by the US recently.

The group claims it has followed conditions for it to end its armed deployment in the boundary zone near Israel, and for the military forces to station there.