Sun Nov 17 14:17:21 UTC 2024: ## Hezbollah Media Chief Killed in Israeli Strike on Beirut Building

**Beirut, Lebanon – November 17, 2024** – A senior Hezbollah official, Mohammed Afif, the group’s head of media relations, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut today, according to Lebanese security sources. The strike targeted a building housing the Lebanese branch of the Syrian Baath party in the Ras al-Nabaa district.

The Lebanese Health Ministry confirmed one fatality and three injuries, with the possibility of further casualties as rescue efforts continue amidst significant building damage. Ali Hijazi, secretary-general of the Lebanese Baath party, also confirmed Afif’s death. The Israeli army has not commented on the incident.

Afif, a close confidante of the late Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah (who was killed in an Israeli strike in September), held a prominent role in the organization for years, managing its communications with both local and international media. His death marks the latest in a series of high-profile Hezbollah officials killed since Israel intensified its bombing campaign against the group on September 23rd. This escalation followed nearly a year of cross-border clashes related to the Gaza conflict.

The strike prompted significant destruction in Ras al-Nabaa, a densely populated area near the French embassy and a university. Reports indicate that residents of a neighboring building received a warning call urging evacuation prior to the strike, though it was apparently not heeded.

Afif gained prominence as the information director for Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television channel during the 2006 war with Israel. He recently held a press conference announcing a Hezbollah drone strike targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence, a conference which was abruptly ended by an Israeli warning of an impending attack. Despite previous bombardments, Afif had defiantly declared, “Bombardments have not scared us, so how would threats?”

The incident further escalates tensions in the already volatile region, adding to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

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