BEIRUT, Lebanon
An Israeli strike on a building in central Beirut on Sunday killed Hezbollah’s media relations chief, Mohammad Afif.
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| Hezbollah’s media relations chief, Mohammad Afif |
It was later announced that
Mahmoud Al-Sharqawi, who was assisting Afif, was also killed at the
headquarters of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party in Ras Al-Nabaa, a neighborhood
of Beirut.
This is the first time this
area has been attacked since Israel began operations in the country.
It is densely populated with
residents and displaced people from the south, and Beirut’s southern suburbs
who have taken refuge there.
The strike also wounded three
others, the Health Ministry said in a preliminary count.
Paramedics at the scene of the
attack told Arab News about “seeing more blood under the rubble, which is being
cleared to determine the fate of those who were inside the building.”
The targeted center has
belonged to the Ba’ath Party for decades.
Its Secretary-General Ali
Hijazi said he was not in the building at the time of the airstrike, and did
not explain why Afif was holding a meeting in the Ba’ath Party building.
Information circulated at the
site of the attack that a group from Hezbollah’s media relations department was
in the building when it was targeted, raising fears that three people
accompanying Afif and who are missing might also have been killed.
On Oct. 22 and Nov. 11, Afif
held two press conferences in the open air in the southern suburb of Beirut to
present Hezbollah’s positions on developments under the watchful eye of Israeli
reconnaissance planes, which are constantly flying over the southern suburb.
Afif was a founding member of
Hezbollah, joining the party in 1983, and has been in charge of its media since
2014.
He managed
Hezbollah-affiliated media outlets such as Al-Manar TV, Al-Nour radio station,
and Al-Ahed news website.
Several residents of the
targeted area said they received calls warning them to evacuate their homes
immediately beforehand.
A 50-year-old woman said: “I
just left the house without taking anything with me. It is a real terror.”
The airstrike, which is
suspected to have been launched by a drone, destroyed the upper floors of the
five-story building, and damaged neighboring buildings on the narrow street.
Israeli army radio confirmed
Mohammed Afif was the target of the strike.
It is the third time Beirut
has been targeted since the Israeli military expanded its operations in
Lebanon.
On Oct. 10, three airstrikes
were directed at Wafiq Safa, the head of the liaison and coordination unit of
Hezbollah, severely injuring him, as well as the destruction of two buildings
in the neighborhoods of Basta and Nuwairi.
A week before, a Hezbollah
ambulance center in Bachoura was attacked, leading to the deaths of six people
and injuries to seven others.
On Sunday, residents of the
Ain Al-Rummaneh area adjacent to the Chiyah district received evacuation
warnings issued by Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee via X, accompanied
by maps indicating locations to be targeted on the outskirts of Ain Al-Rummaneh,
Haret Hreik, and Hadath.
Israeli warplanes subsequently
demolished tall residential and commercial buildings in the area.
Our Lady of Salvation Church
in Hadath was severely damaged, as were the surroundings of Mar Mikhael Church.
This was followed by a second
wave of raids on residential buildings in Burj Al-Barajneh and Bir Al-Abed, and
a third wave targeted more than one location in Haret Hreik and Sfeir.
The Israeli spokesperson
claimed that the airstrikes “targeted military command centers and other
terrorist infrastructures belonging to Hezbollah in the southern suburbs.”
The claim came as Israeli
attacks targeting southern Lebanon continued.
The residents of 15 towns deep
in the south were asked to evacuate their houses immediately and move north of
the Awali River.
The Lebanese military said an
Israeli attack on Sunday killed two soldiers, accusing Israel of directly
targeting their position in southern Lebanon.
“The Israeli enemy directly
targeted an army center” in Al-Mari in the Hasbaya area, causing “the death of
one of the soldiers and the wounding of three others, one of whom is in
critical condition,” the army said in a statement.
A separate statement shortly
afterward said “a second soldier” had died of his wounds.
The Lebanese Army has lost 36
soldiers to Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon over the past year.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati paid tribute to the “martyrs of the army who gave
their lives.”
He said: “We must all
cooperate so their sacrifices do not go in vain by working first to stop the
Israeli aggression on Lebanon and enable the army to carry out all the tasks
required of it, to extend the authority of the state alone over all Lebanese territories.”
Mikati said he was hopeful
that the ongoing talks would result in a ceasefire.
Also on Sunday, Israeli strikes targeted a house in Chabriha, Sidon District,
causing injuries, with raids hitting Tefahta and Aanquoun as well.
In another incident, a person
was killed and three injured at dawn in an air raid on the town of Jdeidet
Marjayoun.
On Saturday night, a family of
seven, including three children, were killed when their house in Arabsalim was
targeted.
The displaced Al-Hattab family
had moved to the north but was not able to adapt to the conditions of
displacement and decided to go back to their home in Arabsalim days before it
was hit.
Hezbollah said its
confrontations with the Israeli army continued at the borders, especially in
Shama.
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