A top Hezbollah commander Muhammad Hussein Srur was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanese capital Beirut yesterday.

 The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed the death of Muhammad Hussein Srur, commander of Hezbollah’s aerial forces, in an airstrike in Beirut. According to military sources, Srur was responsible for directing numerous aerial attacks on Israel, including those involving explosive-laden drones and cruise missiles. The IDF also alleged that Srur had been instrumental in establishing drone manufacturing sites in Lebanon, some of which were reportedly located beneath civilian buildings in Beirut. The strike was carried out amid rising tensions in the region, with war games simulating maneuvers in Lebanon being conducted by Israel.

Meanwhile, Tens of thousands of civilians have already been displaced by the ongoing conflict, with a surge in people fleeing to neighboring Syria being reported by Lebanese authorities. Western nations are weighing their options on how to safely get nationals out of Lebanon if a full-scale war breaks out . Cyprus and possibly Turkey are being seen as a possible sanctuary . Cyprus is the closest European Union member state, some 264 km  from Lebanon. It has been at the forefront of maritime aid efforts for Gaza and in the past was used to coordinate evacuations from Lebanon.