Israel has carried out an airstrike on the Lebanese capital Beirut, killing Hezbollah’s top military commander, Haisam Ali Tabatabai, in the southern part of the city.

There are fears that the recent tensions over the incident could escalate further, Al Jazeera reported on Monday (November 24).

The media outlet said that at least five people were killed, including Tabatabai, in an attack on a Hezbollah-controlled apartment building in Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood on Sunday. Tabatabai, who served as chief of staff of the organization’s armed wing, was later confirmed in a Hezbollah statement. The statement referred to him as a “great commander” but did not specify his specific position within the organization.

The Israeli military said it had “neutralized” Tabatabai. Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Tabatabai had been the target of the attack. Israeli media reported that this was the third attempt to assassinate Tabatabai since last year’s war.

Senior Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qomati had earlier said the attack had “crossed a red line” and the organization’s leadership was considering whether to respond. “Today’s attack in the southern suburbs has opened the door to major tensions in various areas of Lebanon,” he said.

Born in Beirut in 1968 to a Lebanese mother and an Iranian father, Tabatabai grew up in southern Lebanon and joined Hezbollah at the age of 12. The Lebanese Health Ministry said 28 others were wounded in the Israeli attack.

The state news agency NAA said two missiles were fired at the building on Al-Arid Street in the Haret Hreik area, causing extensive damage to the parking area, cars and surrounding buildings.

Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr from Beirut said there was growing concern in Lebanon that Israel “may continue to escalate the repression.”

“Hezbollah is in a very difficult situation now. Their defenses have weakened. If they don’t respond, there could be a bigger attack. If they respond, there is a risk of a more widespread Israeli attack, which could also harm their supporters,” he said.

Security analyst Ali Rizk told Al Jazeera that the main question now is how Hezbollah will respond. “In my opinion, Hezbollah will not want to give Netanyahu an excuse to go to full-scale war. This will benefit Netanyahu politically and increase Lebanon’s losses,” he said.