Alert in Beirut after Israeli strike targets senior Hezbollah figure

Beirut saw heightened tension on Sunday after an Israeli strike that targeted a senior resistance commander.

Mahmoud Qomati, the deputy head of Hezbollah’s political council told reporters: “We do not comment on what the enemy says about a response; the leadership is studying the situation and will make the appropriate decision.”

He stressed that “there is no choice but to hold on to the resistance, and it is impossible to accept the continuation of these violations”. He said all possibilities were now open after Sunday’s strike, and that “agreements with Israel are useless”.

Speaking at the site of the attack, he said: “Today’s aggression is a clear breach of the red line and opens the door to an escalation that could reach all of Lebanon,” noting that Hezbollah remains fully coordinated with the Lebanese state and army.

A powerful explosion shook Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday afternoon after an Israeli air strike that, according to Israel, “precisely” targeted a senior Hezbollah figure.

The strike hit a residential building where the Hezbollah commander Haitham Ali Tabatabai, known as Abu Ali al Tabatabai, was present.