Israel has carried out an air strike on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, for the first time in months, targeting a senior member of the militant group Hezbollah, despite a ceasefire.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the target was Hezbollah's chief of staff. Israeli media reports identified him as Ali Tabtai, describing him as the group's number two.
Lebanon's health ministry said at least five people had been killed and 28 others wounded in the strike, which hit an apartment building in the densely populated Dahieh district. It was not immediately clear if the person killed was Tabtai.
Hezbollah confirmed the strike targeted a senior commander but didn't disclose their identity.
The attack happens as Israel has escalated its campaign on people and targets it says are linked to Hezbollah - a Shia Muslim group supported by Iran - despite a ceasefire brokered by the US and France that came into effect last November.
Israeli officials say Hezbollah has been trying to rebuild its military capabilities, smuggling weapons into Lebanon and stepping up the production of explosive drones as an alternative to rockets and missiles, raising fears of an escalation of hostilities.
Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun has urged the international community to put pressure on Israel - which continues to occupy at least five locations in southern Lebanon - to stop the attacks and withdraw from the country, asserting that the Israeli actions violate the agreement that ended 13 months of conflict.
The Lebanese government has vowed to disarm Hezbollah, but the group has rejected calls to discuss the future of its weapons until Israel ceases its attacks, fully withdraws from Lebanon, and releases Lebanese prisoners.
A Western diplomatic official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the BBC that authorities are under pressure from the Trump administration, which is growing impatient with what they see as slow progress against the group, which is considered a terrorist organization by countries including the US and UK.
The latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted after the Lebanese group started firing rockets at Israeli positions the day after the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023. Hezbollah stated it was acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Lebanese authorities reported that Israel's attacks have killed approximately 4,000 people in Lebanon, including many civilians, and caused the displacement of over 1.2 million residents. Israeli authorities stated that more than 80 of its soldiers and 47 civilians have been killed during the hostilities.
The US government imposed sanctions on Tabtai in 2016 and designated him a terrorist. It has a $5 million (£3.8 million) award for information about him.
