Hezbollah confirmed the death of one of its top commanders, Ibrahim Kobeisi

BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah on Tuesday confirmed the death of one of its top commanders, Ibrahim Kobeisi, who was killed in an Israeli strike in a southern Beirut suburb.

The strike hit three floors of a six-story building. It was Israel’s third strike over Beirut in less than a week

Kobeissi is the first member of the militant group pronounced dead since Israel and Hezbollah entered a more intense phase of the ongoing conflict.

Israel said Kobeisi was a top Hezbollah commander with the group’s rocket and missile unit. Israeli military officials said Kobeisi was responsible for launches towards Israel and planned a 2000 attack in which three Israeli soldiers were kidnapped and killed.

It was the latest in a string of assassinations and setbacks for Hezbollah, the strongest political and military actor in Lebanon and widely considered the top paramilitary force in the Arab world.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. The following is the AP's previous story

The Israeli military said it killed a top Hezbollah commander Tuesday as part of a two-day aerial barrage that has left more than 560 people dead and prompted thousands in southern Lebanon to seek refuge from the widening conflict.

With the two sides on the brink of all-out war, Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets into Israel, targeting an explosives factory and sending families into bomb shelters.

Families that fled southern Lebanon flocked to Beirut and the coastal city of Sidon, sleeping in schools turned into shelters, as well as in cars, parks and along the beach. Some sought to leave the country, causing a traffic jam at the border with Syria.

Issa Baydoun fled the village of Shihine when it was bombed and drove to Beirut with his extended family. They slept in vehicles on the side of the road because the shelters were full.

“We struggled a lot on the road just to get here,” said Baydoun, who rejected Israel’s contention that it hit only military targets. “We evacuated our homes because Israel is targeting civilians and attacking them.”

Volunteers cooked meals for displaced families at an empty Beirut gas station that first became a hub for relief after a devastating port explosion in 2020.

Israel said late Tuesday that fighter jets carried out “extensive strikes” on Hezbollah weapons and rocket launchers across southern Lebanon and in the Bekaa region to the north.

Asked about the duration of Israel’s operations in Lebanon, military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said at a news conference that it aims to keep them “as short as possible, that’s why we’re attacking with great force. At the same time, we must be prepared for it to take longer.”

Tensions between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have steadily escalated over the last 11 months. Hezbollah has been firing rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and its ally Hamas, a fellow Iran-backed militant group.

Israel has responded with increasingly heavy airstrikes and the targeted killing of Hezbollah commanders while threatening a wider operation.

Israel said a strike in Beirut Tuesday had killed Ibrahim Kobeisi, who it said was a top Hezbollah commander with the group's rocket and missile unit. Military officials said Kobeisi was responsible for launches towards Israel and planned a 2000 attack in which three Israeli soldiers were kidnapped and killed.

It was the latest in a string of assassinations and setbacks for Hezbollah, the strongest political and military actor in Lebanon and widely considered the top paramilitary force in the Arab world. The militant group offered no immediate comment on the Israeli claims.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said six people were killed and 15 were wounded in the strike in a southern Beirut suburb, an area where Hezbollah has a strong presence. The country’s National News Agency said the attack destroyed three floors of a six-story apartment building.

The U.N.’s High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon said one of its staffers and her young son were among those killed Monday in the Bekaa region, while a cleaner under contract was killed in a strike in the south.

Hezbollah said its missile attacks Tuesday targeted eight sites in Israel, including an explosives factory in Zichron Yaakov, 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the border. It fired 300 rockets, injuring six soldiers and civilians, most of them lightly, according to Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman.

The renewed exchange came after Monday's barrages racked up the highest death toll in any single day in Lebanon since Israel and Hezbollah fought a bruising monthlong war in 2006.

On Tuesday, mourners carried 11 bodies through the streets of the Lebanese village of Saksakieh, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the Lebanon-Israel border, including those of four women, an infant and a 7-year-old girl. All were killed in Israel’s bombardment of the village Monday.

Some of the bodies were draped in Hezbollah flags, others wrapped in black clothes. A wreath of flowers was placed on top of the smallest one.

Mohammad Halal, father of 7-year-old Joury Halal, said his daughter was an “innocent child martyr.”

“She is a martyr for the sake of the south and Palestine,” Halal said and defiantly stated his allegiance to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Israel said it targeted sites where Hezbollah had stored weapons. Data from American fire-tracking satellites analyzed Tuesday by The Associated Press showed the wide range of Israeli airstrikes aimed at southern Lebanon, covering an area of over 1,700 square kilometers (650 square miles).

NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System typically is used to track U.S. wildfires, but can also be used to track the flashes and burning that follow airstrikes. Data from Monday showed significant fires across southern Lebanon and in the Bekaa Valley.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said at least 564 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since Monday, including 50 children and 94 women, and that more than 1,800 have been wounded — a staggering toll for a country still reeling from a deadly attack on communication devices last week.

Nearly a year of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel had displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border before this week's escalation. Israel has vowed to do whatever it takes to ensure its citizens can return to their homes in the north, while Hezbollah has said it will keep up its rocket attacks until there is a cease-fire in Gaza, which appears increasingly remote.

The Israeli military says it has no immediate plans for a ground invasion but is prepared for one. It has moved thousands of troops who had been serving in Gaza to the northern border. It says Hezbollah has some 150,000 rockets and missiles, including some capable of striking anywhere in Israel, and that the group has fired some 9,000 rockets and drones since last October.

Israel said its warplanes struck 1,600 Hezbollah targets Monday, destroying cruise missiles, long- and short-range rockets and attack drones, including weapons concealed in private homes.

Monday's escalation came after a particularly heavy exchange of fire Sunday, when Hezbollah launched around 150 rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel.

Last week, thousands of communications devices used mainly by Hezbollah members exploded in different parts of Lebanon, killing 39 people and wounding nearly 3,000, many of them civilians. Lebanon blamed Israel, but Israel did not confirm or deny responsibility.

Melzer contributed from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Bassem Mroue and Fadi Tawil in Beirut; Julia Frankel in Jerusalem; and Emad Haddad in Saksakieh, Lebanon, contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Israelis sit next to a public bomb shelter to stay safe from rockets fired from Lebanon, in Haifa, northern Israel, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

Israelis rest in a residential building bomb shelter to stay safe from rockets fired from Lebanon, in Kiryat Haim, northern Israel, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

Israelis rest in a residential building bomb shelter to stay safe from rockets fired from Lebanon, in Kiryat Haim, northern Israel, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

A man reacts as he stands on the rubble of a building hit in an Israeli airstrike in the southern village of Akbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

People react during the funeral procession of their relatives, who were killed in Monday's Israeli airstrikes, in the southern village of Saksakieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Lebanese citizens who fled from the southern villages amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes Monday, sit in a pickup in Beirut, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A wounded girl lies in a hospital bed in the southern village of Saksakieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Flame and smoke rise from an Israeli airstrike in the Khiam valley, as seen from Marjayoun town, south Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Residents and rescuers check a building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburbs, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Residents check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburbs, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept rockets that were launched from Lebanon, in northern Israel, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

A wounded girl lies in a hospital bed in the southern village of Saksakieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

A boy checks the damage to a building hit in an Israeli airstrike in the southern village of Akbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

A wounded boy lies in a hospital bed in the southern village of Saksakieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Men stand on the rubble of a building hit in an Israeli airstrike in the southern village of Akbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

A man checks the damage to a building hit in an Israeli airstrike in the southern village of Akbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Flames and smoke rise from an Israeli airstrike on the Mahmoudieh mountain, as seen from Marjayoun town, south Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A wounded girl lies in a hospital bed in the southern village of Saksakieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Lebanese men who fled on the southern villages amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes Monday, sleep on a public beach in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Lebanese citizens who fled on he southern villages amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes Monday, stand on a pickup at a highway that links to Beirut city, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Lebanese citizens who fled on the southern villages amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes Monday, sit on their cars at a highway that links to Beirut city, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Lebanese citizens who fled the southern villages amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes Monday, sit at a park in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Lebanese citizens who fled the southern villages amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes Monday, sit in their cars at a highway that links to Beirut city, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Emergency workers use excavators to clear the rubble at the site of Friday's Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes on villages in the Nabatiyeh district, seen from the southern town of Marjayoun, Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A man watches rescuers sift through the rubble as they search for people still missing at the site of Friday's Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept rockets that were launched from Lebanon, in northern Israel, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

Lebanese citizens who fled the southern villages amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes Monday, sit on their cars at a highway that links to Beirut city, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Cars sit in traffic as they flee the southern villages amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes, in Sidon, Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept rockets that were launched from Lebanon, as seen from Haifa, northern Israel, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

Two major weather systems are bringing heavy rain, high winds and more to Mexico's southern Pacific coast on one side and the Caribbean on the other.

Tropical Storm John struck Mexico late Monday with life-threatening flood potential after growing into a Category 3 hurricane in a matter of hours. It came ashore near the town of Punta Maldonado before weakening back to tropical storm status early Tuesday and was expected to weaken rapidly. Still, the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that the storm’s slow pace and heavy rains could cause potentially catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Helene formed in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday after bringing heavy rains and big waves to the Cayman Islands. Forecasters warned the storm could strengthen into a major hurricane en route to the southeast U.S. Hurricane watches were in effect for Florida’s Tampa Bay and from Englewood to Indian Pass, as well as for eastern Mexico from Cabo Catoche to Tulum and for Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province.

Follow AP's coverage of tropical weather at https://apnews.com/hub/hurricanes.

Here's the latest:

The U.S. National Hurricane Center has issued hurricane warnings for northwestern Florida’s coastline and part of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as Tropical Storm Helene approaches the area.

Helene is expected to strengthen into a hurricane Wednesday and could become a major hurricane Thursday.

Areas of western Cuba and Florida, including Tampa Bay, were under hurricane watches Tuesday evening. A tropical storm warning was issued for parts of Cuba and Florida’s southwestern coastline, including the Florida Keys.

A storm surge warning was in effect for Florida’s Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor, and from Indian Pass south to Flamingo. Florida and Georgia’s eastern coasts, from Palm Beach to the Savannah River, were under a tropical storm watch.

Tropical Storm Helene prompted NASA and SpaceX to bump Thursday’s planned astronaut launch to at least Saturday.

Although Helene was expected to hit clear across the state, high wind and heavy rain were expected at Cape Canaveral.

SpaceX will launch two astronauts to the International Space Station, along with two empty seats reserved for the Boeing Starliner test pilots who have been up there since June. Their problem-plagued Boeing capsule returned to Earth without them earlier this month, so SpaceX will bring them back to Earth next year.

The postponement follows President Joe Biden ordering federal assistance for Florida and approving its state of emergency declaration.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday afternoon approved Florida's state of emergency declaration. He also ordered federal assistance to supplement state, tribal and local response efforts due to emergency conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Helene that began Monday.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 61 of the state’s 67 counties ahead of the storm expected to become Hurricane Helene. The governor continues to urge residents across much of the state to prepare for potentially significant impacts, from the rural Panhandle region down the Gulf Coast to southwest Florida. The storm is expected to arrive as soon as late Thursday.

“We’re anticipating impacts, I mean, 100, 200 miles (161 to 322 kilometers) outside the eye of the storm, you could see with winds and you could see with surge,” DeSantis said. “We are going to see significant impacts no matter what happens.”

DeSantis said the storm is reminiscent of Hurricane Michael, a category 5 hurricane that rapidly intensified and caught many residents off guard before plowing a path of destruction across the western Panhandle. Communities that are still rebuilding from previous storms could get battered again, DeSantis warned.

Hal Summers is taking no chances as experts warned that a tropical storm in the Caribbean Sea could strengthen into a major hurricane.

The restaurant worker in Mexico Beach, Florida, was headed inland Tuesday to stay with a friend.

In 2018, he barely survived Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 hurricane, which rapidly intensified and caught residents off guard before plowing a destructive path across the western Florida Panhandle.

When it hit, water began to rise inside his parents’ home. Summers waded through it with his cat in his arms to get to safety. Their house and his home were destroyed.

This time, he plans to ride out the storm in the town of Marianna.

He said, “That was such a traumatic experience that that is not the place I needed to be for myself.”

▶ Read more here.

If Tropical Storm Helene follows the same paths as two previous hurricanes that hit Florida in the past year, the state will have a quicker recovery and won’t take as big an economic hit, Florida’s chief financial officer said Tuesday.

That’s because Hurricane Idalia, which hit Florida in August 2023, and Hurricane Debby, which came ashore last month, took down vulnerable structures and trees that would have caused debris, said Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis.

Both storms made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region, where some models have Helen making landfall.

“When Idalia hit, debris was everywhere. When Debby hit, the debris wasn’t as great,” Patronis said during a news conference at a fire station in St. Johns County, Florida.

Patronis urged Floridians to take photos and videos of their homes to help ease the process if they need to make claims with their insurance companies because of storm damage.

“Your house may be a total loss, but now you have video evidence,” Patronis said. “You will have video evidence of what that claim needs in it so that you can be made whole.”

ATLANTA — gov. Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency in Georgia ahead of Tropical Storm Helene's potential impact

Kemp said the state would open its emergency operations center and designate 500 members of the National Guard who could be called up for active service as needed. Kemp also suspended some rules about limits on commercial trucking operations and declared that rules against price gouging are in effect.

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden has been briefed on Tropical Storm Helene and his administration is in touch with officials from states in the storm, the White House said on Tuesday.

“Federal resources and personnel are prepositioned, including generators, food, and water, along with search and rescue and power restoration teams. At the direction of the President, FEMA has also deployed teams to Florida and Alabama to embed with local emergency response personnel to support their efforts, as needed,” White House spokesperson Jeremy Edwards said in a statement.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida A&M University postponed its upcoming college football game against Alabama A&M because of Tropical Storm Helene.

The Rattlers rescheduled the game for Friday, Nov. 29, in anticipation of Helene strengthening into a major hurricane Wednesday while moving north toward the United States. Several models have Helene making landfall just south of Tallahassee.

Florida State, meanwhile, might need to adjust its travel schedule before playing at Southern Methodist University on Saturday.

“We’re continuing to track that. There’s still a lot of information (to come),” Seminoles coach Mike Norvell said Tuesday. “Today is a big day for gaining more information of what could be our reality. I feel good about the plans that we have. I feel good about any potential adjustments, if necessary. But it’s something that we’re absolutely tracking.”

Helene formed into a tropical storm Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea. Hurricane watches were issued for parts of Cuba, Mexico and a stretch of the Florida coastline, including Tampa Bay, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm warning has been issued for parts of the Florida Keys.

MEXICO CITY — Authorities in Mexico are offering free ferry service to move tourists off the low-lying coastal island of Holbox. The offer was made Tuesday by Mara Lezama, the governor of the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo, home to resorts like Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Holbox is known among tourists for its tranquil, shallow waters and flocks of flamingos. It is easily flooded.

MIAMI — Tropical Storm Helene formed Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea and could strengthen into a major hurricane while moving north toward the U.S., forecasters said.

Hurricane watches have been issued for parts of Cuba, Mexico and a stretch of the Florida coastline, including Tampa Bay, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm warning has been issued for parts of the Florida Keys.

The storm was located 170 miles (275 kilometers) southeast of the western tip of Cuba and had sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph). It could strengthen into Hurricane Helene as it approaches the Gulf Coast.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in dozens of counties before the storm's arrival.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 61 of the state’s 67 counties ahead of the storm expected to become Hurricane Helene. DeSantis is urging residents across a broad swath of the state to prepare for potentially significant impacts, from the rural Panhandle region down the Gulf Coast to southwest Florida.

“We’re anticipating impacts, I mean, 100, 200 miles (161 to 322 kilometers) outside the eye of the storm, you could see with winds and you could see with surge,” DeSantis said. “We are going to see significant impacts no matter what happens.”

In a Tuesday morning update from the state’s emergency operations center in Tallahassee, DeSantis said it’s telling that forecasters are already projecting the storm system may become a major hurricane — even before it’s technically formed into a tropical storm.

DeSantis said the storm is reminiscent of Hurricane Michael, a category 5 hurricane that rapidly intensified and caught many residents off guard before plowing a path of destruction across the western Panhandle. Communities that are still rebuilding from previous storms could get battered again, DeSantis warned.

“The Big Bend and Panhandle should be especially prepared for direct impact,” DeSantis said.

PUERTO ESCONDIDO, Mexico — Two people are dead after former hurricane John barreled into Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, blowing tin roofs off houses, triggering mudslides and toppling scores of trees, officials said Tuesday.

John grew into a major hurricane in a matter of hours Monday and made landfall about 80 miles (130 kilometers) east of the resort of Acapulco before declining to a tropical storm after moving inland.

John came ashore near the town of Punta Maldonado late Monday as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (190 kph). It weakened back to tropical storm status early Tuesday with maximum sustained wind speeds of 50 mph (85 kph) and was expected to weaken rapidly.

Evelyn Salgado, the governor of the coastal state of Guerrero, said two people died when the storm sent a mudslide crashing into their house on the remote mountain of Tlacoachistlahuaca (TLAH-ko-chis-tla-waka), further from the coast.

▶ Read more here.

Heavy rains and big waves lashed the Cayman Islands on Tuesday as forecasters warned that a nearby cluster of thunderstorms could soon become a major hurricane en route to the southeast U.S.

Hurricane watches were in effect Tuesday for Florida’s Tampa Bay and from Englewood to Indian Pass, as well as for eastern Mexico from Cabo Catoche to Tulum and for Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province. Hurricane conditions could be possible in parts of Cuba and Mexico early Wednesday and in parts of Florida late Wednesday and early Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

“Now is the time to start preparing. If you’re in an evacuation zone, you should evacuate,” said Lisa Bucci, a hurricane specialist at the center. “Don’t be fooled by the way the storm looks at the moment. We are expecting it to rapidly intensify.”

She said people in regions under watches and warnings should be prepared to lose power and should have enough food and water for at least three days.

The disturbance is expected to move “over extremely deep and warm waters” that would fuel its intensification.

The disturbance is expected to become Tropical Storm Helene on Tuesday and then strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane before approaching the northeast Gulf Coast.

▶ Read more here.

A person walks in the rain after the passing of Hurricane John in Marquelia, Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz)

Sandbags are filled at a public site while residents prepare their homes for potential flooding, Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024, in Tarpon Springs, Fla., as Tropical Storm Helene approaches. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Karl Bohlmann, left, and Tangi Bohlmann, of Tarpon Springs, collect sandbags at a public site while residents prepare their homes for potential flooding, Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024, in Tarpon Springs, Fla., as the Tropical Storm Helene approaches. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

This image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a cluster of storms located south of the Cayman Islands which are expected to strengthen in upcoming days, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (NOAA via AP)

This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite image taken at 6:10pm ET shows Hurricane John near southern Mexico on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (NOAA via AP)

Boats are stored on the beach for protection ahead of the anticipated arrival of Tropical Storm John in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz)