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Israeli forces reportedly attacked the top military official of Lebanon's Iran-aligned group the Hezbollah organization in a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, according to the Israeli prime minister's office on the weekend.

This marked the initial airstrike in months on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, an region renowned for housing officials from the group.

Objective Identified as Ali Tabtabai

The target of the attack was the army leader the Hezbollah chief of staff, as reported by an Israeli source informed about the incident and a Lebanese security source. The prime minister's office did not confirm whether the official was fatally wounded.

American Alert Particulars

A high-ranking American official revealed that Israeli authorities did not notify the US administration in advance about the airstrike, according to a digital update.

The official clarified that the administration was informed right after the incident, and a another American official mentioned that the United States had been aware for days that Israeli forces was preparing to increase strikes in Lebanon.

Background on the Military Leader

The United States levied restrictions on the Hezbollah official in recent years, classifying him as a prominent military figure in the group and offering a reward of up to five million dollars for intel on him.

Strike Details and Consequences

The blast impacted a main road in the capital's southern suburbs, where residents mentioned hearing the roar of warplanes before the explosion.

Civilians hurried out of their apartment buildings out of concern of further strikes, according to a correspondent in the zone.

No fewer than two individuals were killed and several dozen were injured and rushed to medical facilities in the area, according to health officials.

There was no prompt response from the group.

Recent Israel's Campaign

Israeli strikes on Hezbollah over the past couple of years have killed its previous chief Hassan Nasrallah, much of the high-ranking commanders and about thousands of militants.

Statements from Israeli Leadership

The prime minister addressed his cabinet on the morning of the incident before the strike that the country would persist to combat “militant activities” on various arenas.

“Our efforts will persist to do whatever is necessary to prevent the group from restoring its ability to pose a danger to us,” he said.

Wider Context

Israeli forces has escalated bombing raids in the southern region, pressing a operation of regular assaults that it claims is aimed to prevent a rebuilding of capabilities by Hezbollah in the border area.

Israeli authorities has accused the group of seeking to restock weapons since a American-endorsed peace agreement recently.

The group claims it has followed stipulations for it to cease its armed deployment in the border region near Israel, and for the military forces to position there.