JERUSALEM, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Israel's military on Sunday claimed responsibility for an airstrike in central Beirut that killed Hezbollah's media relations chief Mohammad Afif.
The midday strike targeted a multi-story building in the Ras al-Nabaa district without prior evacuation warnings, killing at least four people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Afif joined Hezbollah in the 1980s and served as a media advisor to the group's late leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated by Israel in late September.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces described the attack as "an intelligence-based strike," alleging that Afif "directed Hezbollah operatives to gather field footage for use in propaganda and psychological warfare." ■
