**Israel Resumes Bombing of Lebanon’s Capital Amid Ongoing Ceasefire Talks, Hostilities Continue**
On the 17th, Israel bombed Lebanon, resulting in the death of Mohammad Afif, the chief spokesperson of Hezbollah, a pro-Iran armed group active in Lebanon. According to local media, including the Times of Israel, Israeli forces conducted an airstrike on the office of the Arab Socialist Baath Party located in Ras Al-Nabeh area in the downtown of Beirut, leading to Afif’s death and injuring three others. This marks the first time Israel has targeted central Beirut in ten days. In previous attacks on Lebanon, Israel warned residents to stay away from Hezbollah facilities via messages to their mobile phones, but no such evacuation orders were issued prior to this strike. Beirut lacks proper air raid warnings and bomb shelters, which often results in high casualties when bombings occur.
Afif was the son of a prominent Shia cleric in Lebanon and had played a significant role in Hezbollah for the past 20 years. During the 2006 war with Israel, he first gained attention as the director of information for Al-Manar, a Hezbollah-run television station, later managing its operations. As Hezbollah’s spokesperson, he frequently held press conferences, acting as the “voice of Hezbollah”. During the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last September, he held several press conferences in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated, “Afif played a significant role in Hezbollah’s military operations,” and added, “He was directly involved in executing terrorist activities against Israel by liaising with high-ranking officials.”
Despite ongoing ceasefire talks led by the United States, hostilities between Israel and Lebanon have not ceased. The IDF announced that it had targeted six Hezbollah facilities, including weapon storage facilities, in the southern suburbs of Beirut on the same day. Hezbollah also launched dozens of missiles at the northern Israeli city of Haifa on the 16th, leading to the destruction of a synagogue.