Israel says a senior Hezbollah commander has been killed following an attack on the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital Beirut.
An explosion occurred in Dahiya, a stronghold of Lebanese armed groups, killing at least one person and injuring many others.
The Israeli military said Fuad Shuk was targeted by fighter jets “for elimination based on intelligence.”
Officials say he is responsible for Saturday’s rocket attack on Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Killed 12 people, mostly children. Hezbollah denied involvement in the attack.
Lebanese Prime Minister Naguib Mikati condemned “Israeli’s blatant aggression”.
He described it as a “criminal act” in “a series of acts of aggression that clearly violated international law and killed civilians.”
After the attack, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant published a brief post on social media, saying: “Hezbollah has crossed a red line.”
It was unclear whether Fouad Shukr was killed in the attack. Beirut security sources said the intended target was not inside the building. Hezbollah has yet to issue a statement.
An Israeli official confirmed to the BBC’s US partner CBS News that Israel had informed the United States of its Beirut attack.
The United States has previously said Fouad Shukr is believed to be a senior adviser to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
The company, which has been offering a $US5 million ($3.9 million) reward for information about him, claims he also played a “central role” in the 1983 bombing of a U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 U.S. military personnel die.
Haret Hreik, a district of Dahiya that was hit by air strikes, is densely populated and heavily fortified. Dahiyeh itself is surrounded by Hezbollah checkpoints.
After the Israeli attack, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that U.S. President Joe Biden believed a broader war between Israel and Hezbollah could be avoided.
“We don’t want to see an escalation, we don’t want to see an all-out war,” she said.
Earlier in the day, two unnamed Israeli officials told Reuters that while Israel sought to harm Hezbollah, it did not want to drag Lebanon into an all-out war.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later said it would not issue new instructions to Israelis about taking refuge, suggesting they did not expect an immediate or significant response from Hezbollah.
Both sides are aware of the costs of an all-out war, which could allow Iran to support its proxies in Lebanon.
AFPIsrael’s security cabinet is widely expected to respond after Saturday’s deadly attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Empowering Mr Netanyahu and Mr Galante to decide how to retaliate.
On Saturday, a rocket hit a football stadium in Majdal Shams, killing at least 12 people, mostly children.
Israel blames Hezbollah, but the group denies any involvement.
It was the most serious incident near the Israeli-Lebanese border since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah escalated in October.
The situation escalated after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.
Hezbollah, which backs Hamas, opened a limited second front in northern Israel and the two sides have been fighting since.
In recent days, world leaders have urged restraint amid fears of an all-out war.
Earlier on Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary David Lamy told British nationals in Lebanon to leave immediately or risk being “trapped in a war zone”.
