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The government media office in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, put the number of those killed at 72. It said the strike on Sunday morning hit a residential building that housed six families.
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There was no independent confirmation of the reports or the reported death toll, which followed intensive Israeli bombardment of targets across Gaza in recent days. Israeli officials have previously accused authorities in Gaza of systematically exaggerating reports of casualties from strikes in the territory.
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The first Israeli airstrike on central Beirut in over a month has killed Mohammed Afif, the main spokesperson for Hezbollah, an official from the group has confirmed to the Guardian and Associated Press.
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AP reports:
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Afif had been especially visible after Israel’s military escalation in September and following the assassination of longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was also killed in an Israeli airstrike.
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Israeli warplanes had earlier pounded the southern suburbs of Beirut after the military warned people to evacuate from several buildings. The Hezbollah militant group has a strong presence in the area, known as the Dahiyeh, and the strikes came as Lebanese officials are considering a U.S.-brokered cease-fire proposal.
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main events
Afif has been a prominent figure within Hezbollah for almost two decades, AFP reported.
Afif joined Hezbollah at a young age and first rose to prominence as information director for Hezbollah's Al-Manar television channel during the war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.
Since Nasrallah's assassination, Afif has held several press conferences in Beirut's southern suburbs, including one last month in which he announced that Hezbollah had launched a drone targeting the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was included.
The press conference was cut short after Israeli forces threatened to attack nearby buildings.
“The shelling hasn't scared us, but what about the threats?” Afif said defiantly as journalists rushed to retrieve microphones from the table.
The Hezbollah leaders killed in Israeli airstrikes so far include not only Nasrallah but also Hashem Saffieddin, the former leader's successor.
Jason Burke
Sunday's airstrikes in Gaza came amid Israeli military offensives in Beit Rahiya and the nearby towns of Beit Hanoun and Jabaliya.
The tight siege of three towns and a series of evacuation orders have sparked fears that Israel intends to force civilians to leave the northernmost part of Gaza and will not allow them to return.
“In recent weeks, there has been intense debate in Gaza about the so-called 'General Plan' within the Israeli military, which aims to wipe out Palestinians from northern Gaza by killing, displacing and starving them. and kill those who remain,” Médecins Sans Frontières said on Friday.
“The manner in which ongoing attacks are being carried out in the north reinforces the idea that we are witnessing the execution of this plan,” the NGO added.
Israel denies such intentions and says the offensive, launched last month, is an effort to prevent Hamas from regrouping in areas cleared in previous rounds of fighting.
Below are some images from the scene in Beirut where Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif is believed to have been killed in an Israeli attack.
Sunday's Israeli airstrike killed one person, identified as Hezbollah spokesman Mohamed Afif, and wounded three others, Lebanon's Health Ministry said.
An attack by “enemy aircraft” left an unspecified number of people “trapped under rubble” in Ras al-Nabaa and caused “massive destruction,” AFP news agency reported, citing the state news agency.
“One of the residents of a nearby building received a warning call to evacuate, but it was not taken seriously,” NNA said.
Ali Hijazi, general secretary of the Lebanese branch of the Baath Party, confirmed the death of “Hezbollah media worker” Mohamed Afif, AFP reported, citing the state news agency.
Israel has not yet commented on reports of Afif's death.
Afif had been Hezbollah's public face in several press conferences after Israel assassinated its leader Hassan Nasrallah in September.
The photo shows him at a press conference in Beirut earlier this week.
Dozens of Palestinians reportedly killed in Israeli attack in northern Gaza
Jason Burke
Dozens of Palestinians were killed or injured in an Israeli attack on a high-rise residential building in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, local doctors and regional officials said.
The Hamas-run Gaza government media office put the death toll at 72. It said Sunday morning's attack hit a home occupied by six families.
There was no independent confirmation of this report or the reported death toll, following Israel's barrage of shelling on targets across Gaza in recent days. Israeli officials have previously accused Gaza authorities of systematically exaggerating reports of casualties from attacks in the strip.
William Crist reported to the Guardian from Beirut on Sunday afternoon about the Israeli army's attack on the Ba'ath Party center in Ras al-Naba, the first attack on central Beirut in more than a month. .
The attack on the downtown area appeared to have occurred without warning and caused damage to nearby buildings.
The attack comes as Israel ramps up airstrikes across Lebanon as Lebanese authorities prepare a response to Israel's ceasefire proposal on Monday. The Israeli military issued a series of evacuation advisories for the southern Beirut suburb of Dahieh on Saturday and Sunday and bombed more than a dozen targets across the capital.
Israeli forces continued to advance on the ground in southern Lebanon, with Israeli troops reaching the village of Chamaa, about three miles from the Lebanese-Israeli border. In parallel, Hezbollah has stepped up attacks in northern Israel, announcing on Saturday night that it would target five military targets in Haifa.
Lebanese officials cited positive steps in ceasefire negotiations, but said Israel's request for a Western-led mediation body in Lebanon was an obstacle. Israel's demands reportedly include pushing Hezbollah across the Litani River, about 29 miles from the border.
Israel's military buildup is reportedly aimed at putting pressure on Lebanese negotiators, who have accused Israel's negotiators of negotiating “under fire”.
Hezbollah spokesman killed in Israeli airstrike
Israel's first airstrike on central Beirut in more than a month has killed Hezbollah's chief spokesman, Mohamed Afif, an organization official confirmed to the Guardian and Associated Press.
The Associated Press reports:
Afif was particularly visible following Israel's military escalation in September and the assassination of Hezbollah's longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was also killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Israeli warplanes bombed Beirut's southern suburbs after the military warned people to evacuate some buildings. The militant group Hezbollah, known as Dahiya, has a strong presence in the region, and the attack comes as Lebanese authorities consider a proposed ceasefire brokered by the United States.
