BEIRUT/JERUSALEM - An Israeli airstrike targeting the office of Syria's Ba'ath Party in central Beirut on Sunday noon has killed Hezbollah Media Chief Mohammad Afif and three other people, local TV channel al-Jadeed reported.

According to al-Jadeed, Israeli warplanes attacked the office located between the area of Ras al-Nabaa and the Sodeco Square commercial center with two air-to-surface missiles after the Ba'ath Party received a call from the Israeli army asking it to evacuate the building hosting the party.

Most part of the targeted building was destroyed during the airstrike, and ambulances rushed to the area to remove the rubble and search for victims, al-Jadeed reported.

ALSO READ: Two flash bombs fired into garden of Netanyahu's home in north Israel

Israel's military on Sunday claimed responsibility for the airstrike that killed Afif.

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". 

Since Sept 23, the Israeli army has leveled up its air attack on Lebanon in an escalation of conflict with Hezbollah. In early October, Israel initiated a ground operation across its northern border into Lebanon.

According to the Lebanese health ministry, the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon since the beginning of the war on Oct 8, 2023, has reached 3,452, with injuries up to 14,664.