November 17th 2024.
In a rare turn of events, an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut has resulted in the death of Hezbollah's chief spokesman, as confirmed by an official from the militant group. This comes amidst ongoing tensions between Israel and Palestine, with the former engaging in a year-long war with Hamas.
The targeted killing of senior Hezbollah officials has become a frequent occurrence, with this recent strike following the consideration of a US-led cease-fire proposal by Lebanese officials. In addition to central Beirut, several buildings in the southern suburbs, which have long been used as headquarters by Hezbollah, were also bombed after civilians were warned to evacuate.
According to the UN Special Committee, Israel's conduct in the Gaza war has been consistent with the characteristics of genocide. This only adds to the already tense situation, as Mohammed Afif, head of media relations for Hezbollah, was killed in a strike on the Arab socialist Baath party's office in central Beirut on Sunday. The Hezbollah official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, stated that Afif had been quite visible since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hezbollah in September, which also resulted in the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Last month, Afif had to abruptly end a press conference in Beirut due to Israeli strikes. This time, there was no warning before the strike hit near a busy intersection, causing panic among civilians. An eyewitness reported seeing four bodies and four wounded people, but there has been no official confirmation of the toll. The Israeli military has also not commented on the incident.
One witness, Suheil Halabi, shared his experience saying, "I was asleep and awoke from the sound of the strike, and people screaming, and cars and gunfire. I was startled, honestly. This is the first time I have experienced it so close." This is not the first time that central Beirut has been targeted by Israeli airstrikes. On October 10, 22 people lost their lives in two separate locations.
The tensions between Israel and Hezbollah escalated following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, which led to a series of retaliatory airstrikes by Israel in Lebanon. This eventually led to a full-blown war in September, with Israeli forces even invading Lebanon on October 1. The situation remains tense as both sides continue to engage in deadly attacks, causing loss of innocent lives and destruction of property.
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