JERUSALEM -- Israel's military announced on Thursday that it eliminated Mahmoud Yusef Anisi, a senior advisor for Hezbollah's precision-guided missile manufacturing project.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Anisi was killed in an airstrike carried out by Israeli warplanes in Beirut earlier this week.

According to the IDF, Anisi was "one of the leaders" of Hezbollah's missile manufacturing initiative and a "significant source of knowledge with extensive technological expertise in weapons manufacturing."

Anisi, a mechanical engineering expert, had been with Hezbollah for approximately 15 years.

Anisi's assassination is the latest in a series of targeted operations by Israel against senior members of the Lebanese group, including its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.