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The Israeli military allegedly targeted the top military official of the Lebanese Iran-backed faction the Hezbollah organization in a strike on the capital's southern district, according to the office of the Israeli PM on the weekend.

This was the initial attack in months on the southern suburbs of the capital city, an region recognized for sheltering officials from the group.

Objective Named as Military Leader

The objective of the strike was the army leader Ali Tabtabai, per an Israeli source knowledgeable of the incident and a security official in Lebanon. The prime minister's office did not state whether the official was killed.

American Alert Details

A high-ranking American official indicated that Israel did not alert Washington beforehand about the operation, as mentioned in a social media post.

The official noted that the administration was alerted immediately after the strike, and a another American official stated that the United States had had information for several days that Israeli forces was preparing to intensify operations in the country.

Background on the Target

The US enforced sanctions on the Hezbollah official in 2016, labeling him as a prominent Hezbollah military leader and announcing a bounty of up to five million dollars for details on him.

Strike Particulars and Aftermath

The strike impacted a main road in the capital's southern area, where inhabitants mentioned hearing the noise of warplanes before the explosion.

Civilians rushed out of their homes out of apprehension of more bombings, per a journalist in the zone.

At least two individuals were lost their lives and two dozen were wounded and taken to clinics in the vicinity, per medical sources.

There was no quick statement from the organization.

Ongoing Israeli Operations

Israeli strikes on Hezbollah over the past couple of years have killed its previous chief the group's past leader, a significant part of the group's top military brass and about 5,000 fighters.

Statements from Prime Minister

The prime minister told his cabinet on Sunday morning before the attack that the country would continue to combat “militant activities” on several fronts.

“We will continue to do all that is required to stop Hezbollah from rebuilding its capacity to pose a danger to us,” he said.

Wider Context

Israel has increased bombing raids in the southern region, advancing a initiative of near-daily attacks that it says is intended to prevent a military revival by Hezbollah in the frontier region.

Israeli authorities has accused Hezbollah of trying to acquire arms since a US-backed ceasefire recently.

The group claims it has abided by conditions for it to cease its troop placement in the boundary zone near Israel, and for the military forces to position there.