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The Israeli military reportedly attacked the chief of staff of Lebanon's Iran-backed faction the Hezbollah organization in a strike on Beirut's southern district, according to the Israeli prime minister's office on the weekend.

This represented the first attack in months on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, an zone known for hosting officials from the group.

Objective Identified as Ali Tabtabai

The target of the strike was the army leader Ali Tabtabai, per an source from Israel knowledgeable of the strike and a Lebanese security source. The prime minister's office did not state whether Tabtabai was eliminated.

US Alert Particulars

A high-ranking American official revealed that Israeli authorities failed to inform Washington prior about the operation, as mentioned in a digital update.

The official added that the administration was alerted right after the incident, and a another American official stated that the United States had had information for days that Israel was planning to escalate attacks in Lebanon.

Background on the Target

The US imposed sanctions on Tabtabai in 2016, classifying him as a prominent Hezbollah military leader and offering a bounty of up to five million dollars for information on him.

Attack Details and Aftermath

The strike struck a main road in Beirut's southern area, where inhabitants reported hearing the sound of aircraft before the explosion.

Civilians hurried out of their residences out of fear of additional attacks, per a journalist in the zone.

At least two people were lost their lives and several dozen were hurt and rushed to hospitals in the area, as reported by health officials.

There was no immediate comment from the group.

Recent Israeli Campaign

Israeli strikes on the Lebanese faction over the past couple of years have eliminated its previous chief the group's past leader, much of the senior military leadership and about five thousand combatants.

Statements from Prime Minister

The Israeli leader informed his cabinet on Sunday morning before the strike that the country would persist to confront “terrorism” on multiple fronts.

“We will continue to do all that is required to stop Hezbollah from rebuilding its ability to endanger our security,” he stated.

Broader Context

Israel has escalated air attacks in the southern region, pressing a campaign of frequent strikes that it claims is aimed to block a resurgence of forces by the faction in the frontier region.

Israel has charged Hezbollah of attempting to rearm since a truce supported by the US the previous year.

The group says it has complied with conditions for it to terminate its armed deployment in the frontier area near Israel, and for the Lebanese army to deploy there.