Israeli airstrike kills chief spokesperson for Hezbollah in Lebanon
- 18 November, 10:27
An Israeli airstrike in central Lebanon has resulted in the death of Mohammed Afif, the chief spokesperson for the Iran-affiliated Hezbollah militant group.
According to a Hezbollah official who was not authorized to speak on the record and requested anonymity, Afif was killed in an attack targeting the Arab Socialist Baath Party's office in central Beirut. Afif had been particularly prominent since the outbreak of full-scale conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in September and following the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was also targeted by an Israeli strike.
Israel's military stated that Afif “had significant influence over Hezbollah’s military operations” and “promoted and incited” attacks against Israel.
This attack follows Israeli forces advancing further into Lebanon since the outset of their ground invasion. The killing of Mohammed Afif is part of a series of assaults on high-ranking Hezbollah members. On Sunday night, another strike in central Beirut targeted a computer shop, resulting in two fatalities and injuring 22 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, while there was no immediate response from the Israeli military.
Earlier, Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip reportedly killed at least 12 individuals, as conflict with Hamas has persisted for over a year.
