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The Israeli military reportedly targeted the top military official of Lebanon's Iran-aligned group the Hezbollah organization in a strike on the capital's southern suburbs, as stated by the Israeli prime minister's office on Sunday.

This represented the initial strike in several months on the southern district of the Lebanese capital, an area known for sheltering officials from the group.

Target Identified as Military Leader

The target of the strike was the military official the Hezbollah chief of staff, according to an Israeli source briefed on the strike and a security official in Lebanon. The PM's office did not confirm whether Tabtabai was killed.

US Alert Details

A senior US official indicated that Israeli authorities did not notify Washington in advance about the airstrike, according to a digital update.

The official added that the administration was notified following the strike, and a another American official mentioned that the United States had known for several days that Israel was intending to increase attacks in Lebanon.

History on the Military Leader

The United States enforced restrictions on the Hezbollah official in recent years, labeling him as a key Hezbollah military leader and providing a bounty of up to $5m for intel on him.

Attack Particulars and Aftermath

The strike impacted a primary street in Beirut's southern area, where inhabitants reported noticing the sound of warplanes before the detonation.

Residents fled out of their homes out of concern of more bombings, according to a journalist in the area.

No fewer than two people were lost their lives and two dozen were hurt and taken to medical facilities in the region, according to medical sources.

There was no quick statement from the group.

Ongoing Israel's Operations

Israeli strikes on Hezbollah over the last two years have killed its previous chief Hassan Nasrallah, a significant part of the group's top military brass and about thousands of militants.

Comments from Prime Minister

The Israeli leader informed his government ministers on Sunday morning before the attack that Israel would persist to combat “terrorism” on various arenas.

“Our efforts will persist to do everything needed to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its capability to threaten us,” he declared.

Broader Context

Israel has increased airstrikes in southern Lebanon, advancing a operation of near-daily attacks that it says is aimed to hinder a military revival by the faction in the boundary zone.

Israel has accused the group of seeking to acquire arms since a American-endorsed peace agreement recently.

The faction asserts it has followed conditions for it to terminate its military presence in the border region near Israel, and for the military forces to deploy there.