On Sunday, the spokesperson of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Mohammed Afif, was killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut. Afif, a long-time adviser to the late Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, was responsible for the group's media relations since 2014. The strike occurred at the headquarters of the pro-Hezbollah Baath Party in an area known as Ras al-Nebaa. No evacuation warning was issued before the strike, which hit in the middle of the day.
Following Afif's death, the Palestinian militant group Hamas sent condolences to his family and Hezbollah leadership, praising him as a strong voice of resistance. This strike was part of an escalation in Israel's offensive in Lebanon, with ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, at least 50 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Beit Lahiya, with dozens of Palestinians displaced by the ongoing operation. The strikes targeted terrorist locations, with efforts made to evacuate civilians from the active war zone. In central Gaza, Israeli strikes killed 23 people in al-Bureij, as part of efforts to dismantle Hamas military capabilities.
The Israeli military offensive in Jabalya displaced thousands of Palestinians and resulted in casualties on both sides. The operation aims to systematically dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the area. In southern Lebanon, Israeli forces reached the village of Chama in a deep incursion into Lebanese territory, withdrawing after clashes with Hezbollah.
Israeli airstrikes continued in Beirut for the sixth consecutive day, with strikes targeting Hezbollah military targets in the southern outskirts. Discussions for a ceasefire agreement were ongoing among political officials in Beirut, with US officials pushing for a resolution to prevent further devastation in Lebanon.
