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

This marked the first strike in several months on the southern suburbs of the capital city, an region renowned for housing Hezbollah officials.

Objective Identified as Ali Tabtabai

The focus of the operation was the army leader Ali Tabtabai, per an source from Israel knowledgeable of the strike and a security official in Lebanon. The prime minister's office did not reveal whether Tabtabai was fatally wounded.

US Alert Particulars

A high-ranking American official stated that Israeli authorities did not alert Washington in advance about the airstrike, per a online report.

The authority noted that the administration was informed immediately after the incident, and a another American official mentioned that the US had known for several days that Israel was planning to escalate operations in the country.

Background on the Target

The United States imposed sanctions on the Hezbollah official in recent years, identifying him as a prominent military figure in the group and offering a bounty of up to five million dollars for information on him.

Attack Particulars and Consequences

The airstrike struck a primary street in the capital's southern suburbs, where residents stated noticing the sound of warplanes before the explosion.

Civilians fled out of their homes out of fear of further strikes, per a correspondent in the region.

At least two people were lost their lives and two dozen were injured and taken to clinics in the region, according to medical sources.

There was no prompt response from Hezbollah.

Ongoing Israel's Campaign

Israeli strikes on Hezbollah over the last two years have eliminated its previous chief the group's past leader, a large portion of the high-ranking commanders and about five thousand combatants.

Statements from Prime Minister

The prime minister told his government ministers on Sunday morning before the attack that the country would persist to confront “terrorism” on several fronts.

“Our efforts will persist to do all that is required to hinder the group from rebuilding its capacity to pose a danger to us,” he stated.

Wider Context

Israel has stepped up bombing raids in southern Lebanon, continuing a initiative of near-daily attacks that it states is designed to hinder a military revival by Hezbollah in the boundary zone.

Israeli authorities has alleged the group of seeking to acquire arms since a truce supported by the US recently.

The faction asserts it has complied with stipulations for it to end its armed deployment in the frontier area near Israel, and for the Lebanese army to deploy there.