Israeli Airstrike In Beirut Kills Hezbollah Media Chief

An Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Sunday claimed the life of Mohammed Afif, the media relations chief of Hezbollah, as reported by the Times of Israel. Hezbollah confirmed Afif’s death, which occurred during an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) strike on the Syrian Ba'ath Party's headquarters in the heart of the Lebanese capital.

The Israeli government has yet to officially acknowledge the targeted killing of the high-ranking Hezbollah spokesman. Al Jazeera highlighted that Afif was known for his role in leading multiple press conferences for Hezbollah and providing updates on Israeli military actions. Prior to becoming the top media relations officer for the group, Afif managed Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television station for several years.

In recent comments, Afif had declared that Hezbollah possessed sufficient weaponry to sustain a “long war” against Israel, according to Al Jazeera. His assassination marks another significant step in what appears to be Israel’s strategy to dismantle Hezbollah’s leadership structure.

This strike follows the earlier killing of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, after which Hashem Safieddine was appointed as the head of the Lebanon-based militant group.

Recent Developments

Meanwhile, separate developments on Sunday saw Israeli authorities arrest three individuals suspected of throwing flares at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence. The incident occurred on Saturday night when two flares landed in the courtyard of Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea. Neither Netanyahu nor his family was present during the attack.

The Prime Minister’s residence had previously been targeted earlier in October when a drone from Hezbollah struck the property. Israeli media published images revealing cracks on a bedroom window hit by the drone, which failed to penetrate the reinforced glass and other protective measures. Netanyahu and his family were also not at home during that earlier assault.