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Israel killed Hezbollah’s military chief in a strike on Beirut on Sunday, the Israeli military and the militant group said, hitting an apartment building and killing five people according to Lebanese authorities.Haytham Ali Tabatabai is the most senior Hezbollah commander to be killed by Israel since the start of a ceasefire in November 2024 that sought to end more than a year of hostilities between the two.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that his country “will not allow Hezbollah to rebuild its power”, and called on the Lebanese government to “fulfil its commitment to disarm Hezbollah”.Lebanon’s health ministry said the attack killed five people and wounded 28 more.The ministry did not give the identities of those killed in the strike, which hit the Haret Hreik area in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a densely populated area where Hezbollah holds sway.The group itself, however, said later that four of its fighters had been killed.In a statement shortly after the strike, the Israeli military said it had “eliminated the terrorist Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah’s chief of general staff”.It was the fifth Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs since a ceasefire agreed in November 2024 after a year of conflict, and comes a week before Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit Lebanon.The military insisted in its statement that it “remains committed” to the ceasefire.Hezbollah confirmed in a statement the killing of “the great commander” Tabatabai in “a treacherous Israeli attack”.- ‘Maximum enforcement’ -An AFP correspondent at the scene said the strike hit the third and fourth floors of a nine-storey building, where ambulance and fire crews scrambled to find survivors and Lebanese soldiers deployed to secure the site.Debris littered the road below, with several burned-out cars in the street. The AFP journalist saw rescue workers evacuating a body wrapped in a white bag and at least three wounded women from the site.”I was on the balcony. There was a flash, then I hit the railing and all the glass broke,” a man who was in a building opposite the targeted apartment told AFP, refusing to give his name.Lebanon’s official National News Agency said three missiles were fired at the building.Netanyahu’s office said he had ordered the attack.”In the heart of Beirut, the IDF (Israeli military) attacked the Hezbollah chief of staff, who had been leading the terrorist organisation’s build-up and rearmament,” the premier’s office said in a statement.Separately, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said: “Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have his hand cut off,” warning that Israel would “continue the policy of maximum enforcement”.Israel has defended its attacks on Lebanon since the ceasefire as upholding the terms of the deal by preventing Hezbollah from rebuilding.Sunday’s strike was the first on Beirut’s southern suburbs since June 5, when Israel said it hit a Hezbollah drone factory.- Hezbollah weakened -Tabatabai, born in 1968 according to Hezbollah’s statement, was largely unknown to the Lebanese public.Prior to his role as military chief, Tabatabai was “responsible for the Yemen file” in the group, a source close to the group told AFP.The United States says he commanded special forces in the country as well as in Syria, where Hezbollah supported former president Bashar al-Assad during the country’s brutal civil war.The US Treasury had offered a $5 million reward for information on Tabatabai.Hezbollah was weakened by its fight with Israel, which it started in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza in October 2023 with cross-border exchanges of fire that later escalated into two months of full-blown war.Since then, Lebanon has come under increasing Israeli and US pressure to disarm the militant group, a move that the group has opposed.Netanyahu earlier on Sunday told a cabinet meeting that Israel “will continue to do everything necessary to prevent Hezbollah from re-establishing its threat capability against us”.Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on the international community to intervene firmly to stop Israeli attacks on the country.Beirut “reiterates its call to the international community to assume its responsibility and intervene firmly and seriously to stop the attacks on Lebanon and its people”, he said in a statement.rjm-burs-glp/nad/dcp

Israel said it carried out an air strike Sunday targeting Hezbollah’s chief of staff in Beirut, hitting an apartment building in an operation which the Iran-backed militant group said crossed a red line.Lebanon’s health ministry said the strike killed five people and wounded 28. It did not give the identities of the people killed.The strike took place in the Haret Hreik area in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a densely-populated area where Hezbollah holds sway.Hezbollah confirmed a senior commander was targeted in the strike, while an Israeli government spokeswoman declined to give the name of the target at this stage.An AFP correspondent at the scene said the strike hit the third and fourth floors of a nine-storey building.Debris littered the road below, with a car damaged in the street. Dust could be seen rising from the block, with rescue workers inside the apartments searching for survivors.Ambulances and fire crews scrambled to the scene and rescuers evacuated a wounded woman on a stretcher. A crowd gathered in the street and Lebanese soldiers were deployed to secure the site.Lebanon’s official National News Agency said three missiles were fired at the building.- ‘Maximum enforcement’ -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he had ordered the attack — the latest against targets in Lebanon despite a year-long ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.”In the heart of Beirut, the IDF (Israeli military) attacked the Hezbollah chief of staff, who had been leading the terrorist organisation’s build-up and rearmament,” the premier’s office said in a statement.”Israel is determined to act to achieve its objectives everywhere and at all times.”Separately, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said: “Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have his hand cut off,” warning that Israel would “continue the policy of maximum enforcement”.Hezbollah official Mahmud Qomati told reporters Sunday’s attack “crosses a new red line”. “The targeting was clearly aimed at a key… figure in the resistance, and the results are unknown,” he added in front of the strike location, without disclosing the person’s identity.Israel has carried out regular strikes in Lebanon since the November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, saying it is striking members of the group or its infrastructure in the country’s south and east.Sunday’s strike, however, was the first on Beirut’s southern suburbs since June 5, when Israel said it hit a Hezbollah drone factory.- Hezbollah weakened -Hezbollah was weakened by its fight with Israel, which it started in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza in October 2023 with cross-border exchanges of fire that later escalated into two months of full-blown war.Since then, Lebanon has come under increasing Israeli and US pressure to disarm Hezbollah, a move that the group has rejected.”Hezbollah will not be allowed to rearm and operate inside of Lebanon and we expect Lebanon to hold Hezbollah’s feet to the fire on this,” Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian reiterated after Sunday’s strike.”Hezbollah’s terrorist activities constitute a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and the IDF will continue to operate to remove any threats to the citizens of Israel,” she told reporters.Netanyahu earlier Sunday told a cabinet meeting that Israel “will continue to do everything necessary to prevent Hezbollah from re-establishing its threat capability against us”.Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on the international community to intervene firmly to stop Israeli attacks on the country.Beirut “reiterates its call to the international community to assume its responsibility and intervene firmly and seriously to stop the attacks on Lebanon and its people”, he said in a statement.rjm-burs-glp/amj