(BBC News) Israel’s military has killed a senior member of the militant group Hezbollah in an air strike on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, despite a ceasefire.
It described Haitham Ali al-Tabtabai, Hezbollah’s chief of staff, as a veteran of the group who had held a series of senior positions.
Lebanon’s health ministry said at least five people were killed and 28 others wounded in the strike, which hit an apartment building in the densely populated Dahieh district.
Hezbollah confirmed Tabtabai’s death, adding Israel had crossed a “red line” in carrying out the strike.
The strike is Israel’s first on southern Beirut for months.
It comes 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, is smuggling weapons into Lebanon and stepping up the production of explosive drones as an alternative to rockets and missiles, and there are growing fears of an escalation of hostilities.
In a statement after the strike, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Under my leadership, the State of Israel will not allow Hezbollah to rebuild its power, and we will not allow it to once again pose a threat to the State of Israel.”
He said he expected the Lebanese government “to fulfill its commitment to disarm Hezbollah.”
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, saying the Israeli actions are a violation of the agreement that put an end to 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 before Israel stops its attacks, fully withdraws from Lebanon, and releases Lebanese prisoners.
