The Israeli occupation army confirmed the assassination of Hezbollah military commander Ali al-Tabtabai in an airstrike on Haret Hreik in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that five people were killed and 28 were injured in initial figures from the strike, which targeted an apartment on al-Areed Street.

Ambulance crews rushed to the site amid fears the death toll could rise.

The escalation comes amid ongoing cross-border strikes between Hezbollah and Israel along the Lebanese frontier.