Israeli Military Admits Mistaken Strike Killed Senior Lebanese Official

Israel. The Israeli military admitted on Sunday that a strike intended for a Hezbollah leader in Lebanon mistakenly hit another individual, killing a senior official from a major rival political group. The victim of Sunday's Israeli strike has been confirmed as a senior leader of the Lebanese Forces party, a key political opponent of Hezbollah. In a statement released on Monday, the IDF apologized, stating that the strike was a result of a mistaken target. Israel's attack on a section of a residential building resulted in the deaths of senior Lebanese official Pierre Mouawad and his wife, Flavia. The apartment was located in Ain Saadeh, a Christian-majority city east of Beirut. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, one man and two women were killed in the attack. The local mayor stated that the victims were residing one floor below the targeted apartment. The IDF stated, "We are reviewing reports that several uninvolved individuals were affected as a result of this strike." The Lebanese Forces party condemned the attack, stating, "Mouawad was neither a fighter nor a military target." Just before the fatal strike, he had been celebrating Easter at home with his family. The party strongly condemned Hezbollah, stating, "This incident confirms that military confrontations have now been dragged into residential areas. Civilians should not have to lose their lives in vain." An Iranian missile landed in Haifa, Israel, on Sunday night. Four people were killed in that attack. The BBC reported that four body bags were also recovered from the building hit in Monday's attack. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the attack. "I just spoke with Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav and expressed my deepest condolences for the loss of four lives in Haifa," he wrote in a post on the social media platform X.