Hezbollah spokesman killed in Israeli strike

(CLO) Mohammad Afif, Hezbollah's main spokesman, was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a building in central Beirut, according to information from the Lebanese armed forces.

The airstrike occurred in the crowded Ras al-Nabaa area of the Lebanese capital, injuring three other people.

Mohammad Afif speaks during a press conference in Dahiyeh, Beirut on November 11, 2024. Photo: AP

Hezbollah officials said the building was attacked without warning, although the area had become a shelter for many Lebanese displaced by attacks in Beirut's southern suburbs.

Al Jazeera commented that this move is part of Israel's strategy to comprehensively weaken Hezbollah, including economic, social, political and military fields.

Afif, who ran Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV channel before becoming the group's head of media relations, often holds press conferences in the Dahiyeh area, a southern suburb of Beirut that has been heavily damaged by Israeli airstrikes.

In his most recent statement on November 11, Afif asserted that the Israeli army has not captured any territory in Lebanon and that Hezbollah has enough weapons and supplies to sustain a long-term war.

Mohammad Afif's assassination is part of a series of attacks targeting senior Hezbollah leaders. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was also assassinated in late September in an Israeli airstrike in the Dahiyeh area, south of Beirut.

Military expert Elijah Magnier commented that these assassinations were intended to disrupt Hezbollah's leadership and communication capabilities, forcing the remaining leaders to reveal themselves more, creating opportunities for further attacks.

In addition to the Ras al-Nabaa attack, the Israeli Air Force also carried out an airstrike in the Mar Elias area of central Beirut, killing two people and injuring 13. Mar Elias is a densely populated area where many people displaced by the war are taking refuge.

In southern Lebanon, the Israeli army attacked a military post in al-Mari, Hasbaiyya district, killing two Lebanese soldiers.

Lebanon'sEducation Minister Abbas Halabi has ordered the closure of all schools and educational institutions in Beirut and the surrounding area for the next two days following the attacks.

According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, the Israeli strikes on Saturday left 29 people dead and 122 injured. Since October last year, the total death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon has reached 3,481, while the number of injured is 14,786.

Cao Phong (according to AP, Al Jazeera)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/phat-ngon-vien-hezbollah-thiet-mang-trong-cuoc-tan-cong-cua-israel-post321779.html