Israel strikes Beirut southern suburb in assassination attempt on Hezbollah figure

Israel has carried out an airstrike on Beirut's southern suburb, an area of the Lebanese capital with heavy Hezbollah political presence, in an attempt to take out a yet unnamed Hezbollah senior figure.

Reports suggested the target may be Fuad Shukr, a senior figure in the Lebanese militant group.

A loud blast was heard, and a plume of smoke could be seen rising above the southern suburbs at around 7:40 p.m. (1640 GMT), a Reuters witness said.

The Israeli army "carried out a targeted strike in Beirut on the commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians," a post by the Israeli military claimed on X, formerly Twitter.

It added that "at the moment, there are no changes in the Home Front Command defensive guidelines" regarding mobilisation within Israel.

Security sources confirmed to The New Arab's Arabic sister edition, Al Araby Al Jadeed, that a strike occurred in Dahieh, Beirut's southern suburb, with ambulances rushing to the scene.

Lebanon's health ministry said three people, including two children, had been killed.

The "non-final toll of the Israeli aggression on the southern suburbs of Beirut... is three martyrs, including a woman, a girl and a boy," adding that 74 people had been wounded, "while the search for missing persons under the rubble continues".

The death toll could rise as footage on social media showed extensive damage to a building and vehicles nearby in a busy residential street. 

Hezbollah sources quoted by The New Arab's affiliated Al-Araby TV confirmed an attempt on a Hezbollah figure but did not confirm the hit and did not name them at the time.

The Lebanese National News Agency said the strike was carried out by an Israeli drone that fired three rockets into the city block.

Fuad Shukr is a US-sanctioned Hezbollah senior advisor to chief Hassan Nasrallah. He is alleged to be linked to the bombing of the US embassy and marine barracks in Beirut in 1983.

Shukr, "who goes by the nom de guerre Mohsen Shukr, survived the Israeli strike," the source told AFP, requesting anonymity, adding that Shukr is "in charge of commanding military operations in southern Lebanon".

In 2017, the US Treasury offered $5 million for information on Shukr, describing him as "a senior adviser" to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and saying he had "a central role" in the deadly 1983 bombing of the US Marine Corps barracks in Beirut.

It is unclear whether Shukr was killed in the strike or not, with various contradicting reports.

A source close to Hezbollah told AFP that the senior commander Fuad Shukr, who is leading the group's operations against Israel in south Lebanon, survived an Israeli strike in the group's southern Beirut stronghold.

At the same time, two security sources also told Reuters Shukr survived.

However, the Israeli public broadcaster Kan says Shukr was killed. While the Israeli army claimed it "eliminated" Shukr in an official statement.

A security source also reportedly confirmed to a local Lebanese MTV channel that the commander had been killed.

Lebanon has since condemned the strike with its Foreign Minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, saying that his government condemned the strike and planned to file a complaint to the United Nations.

He told Reuters he hoped any response by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, whose heartland is in those southern suburbs, would not trigger an escalation.

A Hezbollah source told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: "The nature of the conflict necessitates a response to the Israeli airstrike on the southern suburb of Beirut."

At the same time, Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the "blatant Israeli aggression on the southern suburbs of Beirut, which led to the fall of dozens of Lebanese citizens, including martyrs and wounded."

He stated in a statement: "The Israeli killing machine has not stopped targeting Lebanese areas in the south and the Bekaa, reaching the heart of the capital, Beirut, just meters away from one of the largest hospitals in Lebanon."

He pointed out that "this criminal act that occurred tonight is a part of a series of aggressive operations that claim the lives of civilians, in clear and explicit violation of international law and international humanitarian law. This is something we bring to the attention of the international community, which must assume its responsibilities and exert all efforts to pressure Israel to stop its aggression, threats, and implement international resolutions."

He added, "We retain our full right to take all measures that contribute to deterring Israeli aggression, and I have called for a cabinet meeting tomorrow, inviting all ministers to participate."

Lebanon had been anticipating an Israeli strike after an attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan killed 12 youths at the weekend.

Israel and the US have blamed Hezbollah for the rocket strike, though the group has denied responsibility.

(Agencies contributed to this report)