Israel said it carried out a strike in Beirut on Tuesday night, saying that it had targeted a Hezbollah commander whom it blamed for a strike that killed 12 children and teenagers in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights this weekend.

The target of the strike was Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah official, who served as a close adviser to Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary general of the powerful Lebanese Shia militant group, according to two Israeli security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details of the operation.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.

The Israeli military issued a statement about the strike not long after an explosion hit Beirut’s southern suburbs. Tensions have soared between Israel and Hezbollah since a strike on Saturday in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, which killed the children and teenagers as they played soccer. Videos and photographs posted on social media on Tuesday showed smoke rising above buildings as darkness fell over Beirut.

In a post on X, Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, said Hezbollah had “crossed a red line”.

Since the war in Gaza began, Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire across Israel’s northern border, raising fears among many officials that the conflict could escalate into a wider war that would cause devastation to its cities and towns. Hezbollah has denied it was behind the assault that hit the Druse village of Majdal Shams, in the Golan Heights.