Israel strike on Beirut kills Hezbollah media chief

Mohammed Afif was killed in a strike on a building that houses the Syrian Ba’ath Party, while a second attack targeted a centre of Islamist group Jamaa Islamiya.

Lebanese firefighters douse the flames at the site of an Israeli strike that targeted central Beirut. Picture: AFP.

An Israeli strike on a central Beirut suburb has killed Hezbollah’s media chief, while a second attack targeted a centre of Islamist group Jamaa Islamiya.

Mohammed Afif was killed in a strike on a building that houses the Syrian Ba’ath Party, Lebanese media reports. A Hezbollah official confirmed his death to Associated Press.

The IDF did not issue any evacuation warning before the strike, as it was an assassination and did not target Hezbollah’s infrastructure The Times of Israel reports.

Mr Asif had taken a public role since the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, speaking defiantly recently after being forced to interrupt a press conference in Dahihey, Hezbollah’s stronghold, to evacuated ahead of an IDF strike.

“The bombing does not scare us, nor the threats,” he said at the time. |Our will is firm and our determination is strong.”

The Lebanese Health Ministry is reporting 1 Dead and at least 9 Injured, as a result of the Israeli Airstrike earlier near the Center of Beirut; with the Target of the Strike still considered Unknown. pic.twitter.com/gTraF1cxW4

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) November 17, 2024

In a separate strike, Lebanon’s official National News Agency said the Israeli Defence Force had hit a centre of Islamist group Jamaa Islamiya in central Beirut.

“Israeli warplanes launched a strike on the Mar Elias area of the capital Beirut,” the NNA said, adding that it “targeted a Jamaa Islamiya centre”, referring to a Sunni Muslim group allied to Palestinian militant group Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

AFP journalists heard the sound of explosions and subsequent sirens amid a strong smell of burning, while AFPTV footage showed a blaze in the capital.