Israel conducted airstrikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday, killing Hezbollah’s chief of staff, Haytham Tabtabai, in the first Israeli attack on Lebanon’s capital since June. The strike, which Lebanon’s Health Ministry said left five dead and 25 injured, comes almost a year after a ceasefire ended the last Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

Hezbollah confirmed Tabtabai’s death, warning that the attack could escalate tensions days ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural foreign visit to Lebanon.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “We will continue to act forcefully to prevent any threat to the residents of the north and the state of Israel.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Tabtabai of leading Hezbollah’s efforts to rearm.

The Israeli military advised residents in northern towns along the Lebanese border to continue their daily routines, indicating that a large-scale retaliation from Hezbollah is not expected at this stage.

In recent weeks, Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon have intensified amid growing U.S. and Israeli pressure on Lebanon to dismantle Hezbollah’s military capabilities.