Following the recent powerful airstrikes by the Israeli Air Force, a new wave of strikes targeted the heart of Beirut. This morning, an attack was carried out in the Ras al-Naba neighborhood, where Mohammad Afif, Hezbollah’s head of media operations, was killed. The Lebanese Ba’ath Party announced that the rare strike was aimed at a building where Hezbollah’s leadership is based in Ras al-Naba. The Ba’ath Party is the political party of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who rules Syria.
Shortly afterward, security sources told Reuters that Mohammad Afif had been killed in the attack.
These strikes follow an increase in the frequency of Israeli Air Force operations in the Dahieh area last week. The Israeli military announced on Saturday evening that it had completed a new wave of airstrikes, marking the fourth round in a single day, targeting 50 terror-related sites in the neighborhood within one week. An IDF spokesperson explained that “all the military targets attacked were deliberately placed by Hezbollah in the heart of the civilian population. This is another example of Hezbollah’s cynical use of Lebanese civilians as human shields.”
An IDF spokesperson clarified that, as in previous waves of attacks, in the current round, warnings were issued to the Lebanese population. “Before the attack, many steps were taken to reduce the likelihood of harm to civilians, including advanced intelligence gathering, precise surveillance, and prior evacuation warnings to the population in the area,” the spokesperson said.
As a reminder, on Saturday evening, Hezbollah fired ten rockets at the Gulf region. Thanks to civilians’ adherence to safety guidelines, many lives were likely saved. In Haifa, a Yeshiva building (religious study hall) was severely damaged by a direct hit, but no casualties were reported. Magen David Adom (MDA) reported that only five people in the city were lightly injured, all from accidents while rushing to shelters.
In the background, US-mediated negotiations are underway in an attempt to broker a ceasefire. A Lebanese source told the media that Lebanese authorities in Beirut are “optimistic” that Hezbollah will accept the terms presented, with a response expected by tomorrow (Monday).
However, both Hezbollah and the IDF continue to fight intensively. The IDF released a video from a visit by Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi to the village of Khila in southern Lebanon last week, where he emphasized the military’s determination to continue targeting Hezbollah: “This organization will continue to fire; we will continue to fight, continue to execute our plans, move forward, attack deep, hurt Hezbollah very, very hard.” He added: “We will stop when we know that we have ensured the safety of the residents.”
