Israeli Army Confirms the Death of Mohammad Afif, Hezbollah's Media Official

The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed the death of Mohammad Afif, the media affairs officer of the militant group Hezbollah, as a result of airstrikes carried out in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, late on Sunday, November 18. According to the Israeli army, "warplanes targeted and killed Mohammad Afif, the propaganda unit head of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, who acted as the spokesperson for this organization." The statement noted that Mohammad Afif joined Hezbollah in the 1980s and had a significant impact on the military operations of this Iran-backed group. The Israeli army stated that he received instructions from senior Hezbollah commanders regarding the acceptance of responsibility for last month's drone attack on the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli army emphasized in its statement that "the messages disseminated by Mohammad Afif in Lebanese media were instances of incitement and glorification of terrorist activities against the state of Israel." The Israeli army bombarded Hezbollah from "Lebanese soil." The Israeli Defense Minister stated that the most important goal of the war is to return hostages. Shin Bet described the shooting of a flare at Netanyahu's house as a "very serious incident." An Israeli attack on Hezbollah positions in Baalbek, Lebanon, left 6 dead and 11 wounded.