There’s news out of Lebanon Sunday morning as reports indicate that a rare Israeli airstrike in central Beirut killed the spokesman for Hezbollah.
BEIRUT (AP) — A rare Israeli airstrike on central Beirut killed Hezbollah’s chief spokesman on Sunday, an official with the militant group said. Earlier, officials said Israeli strikes killed at least 12 people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been at war with the Palestinian Hamas for over a year.
The latest in targeted killings of senior Hezbollah officials came as Lebanese officials considered a United States-led cease-fire proposal. Israel also bombed several buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has long been headquartered, after warning people to evacuate.
Mohammed Afif, the head of media relations for Hezbollah, was killed in a strike on the Arab socialist Baath party’s office in central Beirut, according to a Hezbollah official who was not authorized to brief reporters and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Afif had been especially visible after all-out war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah in September and the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike. Last month, Afif hastily wrapped up a press conference in Beirut ahead of Israeli strikes.
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As noted above, this is the latest in a series of actions that have taken out key Hezbollah officials over the past several months, including the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Others include Nabil Kaouk (deputy head of Hezbollah’s Central Council), Ibraham Akil (top commander and leader of Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces), Ahmad Wehbe (Radwan Forces commander), Ali Karaki (leader of Hezbollah’s southern front), Mohammad Surour (head of Hezbollah’s drone unit), and Ibrahim Kobeissi (Hezbollah’s missile unit leader).
Afif claimed Hezbollah was responsible for a drone attack on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home in October.
Hezbollah has claimed ‘full and sole responsibility’ for a drone attack on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin’s home late last week.
‘Hezbollah takes the full and sole responsibility for targeting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s house,’ Mohammad Afif, the head of the militant group’ media office, told a press conference in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Mohammad Afif boldly took responsibility for targeting Netanyahus home last month.
If he was indeed just eliminated, he will not be missed. https://t.co/LWjZVMMG1l pic.twitter.com/c67qM4WebM
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) November 17, 2024
Video of the aftermath of the strike was making the rounds on X Sunday morning:
🚨🚨 Reuters: Strike outside the Dahiyeh in Beirut has killed Hezbollah’s media relations office chief, Mohammad Afif pic.twitter.com/bVTtAWvc2J
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) November 17, 2024
Israel has also confirmed that Afif was killed in the strike.
Wow. Unbelievable!
Israel has just confirmed that it took out the head of the Hezbollah “media” (Propaganda) department, Mohammed Afif! 💥💥
Slowly but surely, Israel is obliterating Hezbollah, which was, just a few months ago, the richest and strongest terrorist organization… pic.twitter.com/dGggDEzObn
— Hillel Fuld (@HilzFuld) November 17, 2024
