The Israeli military said Monday that a strike north of Beirut intended to assassinate a Hezbollah operative had failed, while acknowledging that civilians were killed in the attack, including a senior figure in an anti-Hezbollah political group.

The Israeli army said the strike, carried out in the Metn area of Ain Saadeh on Sunday evening, did not hit its intended target.

“The operation failed to eliminate the Hezbollah operative,” the military said, adding that it “regrets the harm” caused to civilians.

Lebanese media reported that the strike killed Pierre Mouawad, a senior official in the Lebanese Forces party opposed to Hezbollah, along with his wife. According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, another woman was killed and three others were wounded.

Local reports indicated that Mouawad lived on the second floor of the targeted building, while the strike was aimed at an individual on the third floor whose identity remains unknown. The Israeli military has not publicly identified the intended target.

Earlier, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the military had carried out a strike on “a target in the eastern Beirut area,” adding that reports of injuries among civilians not involved in the fighting were being reviewed and that “all details of the incident are under examination.”

Adraee accused Hezbollah of operating within civilian areas, saying the group uses residents as human shields in violation of international law.

Conflicting accounts have emerged over who was targeted in the strike. Israel’s public broadcaster reported that the military had attempted to assassinate a Hezbollah operative and acknowledged the failure. However, Israeli Army Radio said the intended target was a member of the Palestinian Corps within Iran’s Quds Force, and that the attempt also failed.

Lebanese daily An-Nahar reported that Lebanese Army Intelligence is tracking a motorcycle seen in footage circulating before, during, or shortly after the blast, in an effort to identify its rider and determine whether he may have been the intended target.

Maroun Maroun, a senior Lebanese Forces official, told Al-Jadeed that the apartment had been rented and that there had been multiple attempts to have it vacated. In contrast, the mayor of Ain Saadeh said the apartment was not registered as rented in municipal records, adding that it was unclear whether it may have been leased unofficially.

The mayor also told MTV that authorities would begin reinforcing the damaged building. He said the municipality has contacted the Higher Relief Commission and was asked to prepare files for repairs. For now, he added, costs will be borne by the property owners, while the municipality is ready to provide temporary housing for affected families.