TEHRAN- loud explosions were heard in the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday in what appeared to be an Israeli airstrike.

Reuters reported that the Israeli strike targeted a prominent Hezbollah leader in Beirut in a move that could significantly escalate the long-simmering tensions in the region. No immediate reaction came from the Lebanese resistance movement. 

In recent days, Israel has been threatening to strike Hezbollah after a missile strike killed more than 10 people in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israel blamed the attack on Hezbollah, a claim the Lebanese movement roundly denied.