Attack and Immediate Aftermath
In the most significant escalation yet, a near missile strike hit a building in the Ras al-Nabaa neighborhood in Beirut Sunday, killing Mohammad Afif, Hezbollah’s chief of media relations. The attack hit a building that houses the Ba’ath Party offices in a neighborhood that had become a refuge of sorts for those displaced by previous bombardment in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The Target and Verification
According to the Reuters news service, Afif had been killed, and two sources in Lebanese security circles confirmed this report. Ali Hijazi, local leader of the Ba’ath Party in Lebanon, confirmed that Afif was indeed in the building at the time of the assault. The assault took place without prior warning, as no evacuation notice through proper Israeli military channels had been issued.
Afif’s Function and Legacy
Mohammad Afif wasn’t an ordinary official. His past in Hezbollah covered more than ten years of intense working service, including a vital one as media advisor to the former secretary general of the organization, Hassan Nasrallah, who also shared a similar demise in an Israeli attack on September 27. In his final posting, Afif headed the television section of Hezbollah’s Al-Manar station then headed the media relations office of the group.
Recent Activity and Final Words
In one of his last public appearances, Afif showed courageous defiance during a November 11 press conference. Amidst the rubble of previous attacks, he boldly declared Hezbollah’s preparedness to wage a long war, declaring that Israeli forces had yet to occupy Lebanese territory and emphasized the reserves of large amounts of weapons and supplies that the group possessed.
The Greater War Context
This is the latest in a rapidly rising cycle of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah which began in early October 2023, following the attack by Hamas on southern Israel. Violence mounted sharply in the last days of September, when Israel massively expanded its military operations throughout Lebanon, intensifying aerial bombing raids across southern and eastern areas of the country and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Immediate Casualties and Victims
The Lebanese Ministry of Health reports that three more besides Afif were injured from the strike. A local media house captured destruction in pictures as the top floors of a structure had collapsed onto the ground floor as civil defense workers rush to attend to one such scene. Sirens filled the air as security forces struggled to control the crowds gathering in various locations, at times firing warning shots to create perimeters of safety within zones of strikes.
It is the latest attack which might be another critical turning point amid simmering regional tensions, where it could also affect the volatile situation amid Israel and Hezbollah.
Genre: World News
Tags: #BeirutStrike #LebanonCrisis #HezbollahNews #MiddleEastTensions #IsraelLebanonConflict
