In a sudden escalation, Israeli forces struck Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing two people and injuring 11, according to Lebanon’s state-run news agency. The attack came just days after a ceasefire agreement, brokered in Washington, took effect, and despite U.S. requests to refrain from attacking Lebanon’s capital. The strike hit a residential building, damaging more than half its floors, and Lebanese military personnel later secured the area amid concerns over unexploded ordnance.
The Israeli government framed the strikes as retaliation for attacks launched by the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group against northern Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the operation targeted Hezbollah “command centers” within the densely populated urban neighborhoods of Beirut. Netanyahu told his cabinet the military was striking decisively as Hezbollah forces were reportedly retreating.
Hezbollah did not immediately claim responsibility for the earlier attacks on Israel. The airstrikes unfolded amid tense efforts to uphold a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel, secured through negotiations in Washington. While Israel had temporarily halted planned air operations following urgent U.S.-mediated talks, tensions spiked again after Hezbollah attacks near Israel’s northern border.
This latest Israeli assault comes as Israeli troops maintain a ground presence over a significant portion of southern Lebanon, engaged in ongoing clashes with Hezbollah forces. The conflict poses broader risks to regional stability, particularly as Iran warns that further Israeli attacks on Beirut could trigger a full-scale war across the Middle East.
The fighting complicates attempts to revive peace talks between Washington and Tehran and threatens key shipping lanes like the Strait of Hormuz, vital for global oil and gas exports. Iran insists that any negotiated settlement must include ending hostilities in Lebanon, a position Hezbollah supports while rejecting the current U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement. The militant group has called on Lebanon to cease direct negotiations with Israel, emphasizing Iran’s role in framing the larger conflict.
A senior U.S. official stated they were not surprised by the Israeli airstrike but declined to confirm if the U.S. had prior knowledge of the specific operation. The official reiterated that Israel has long maintained a policy of preemptively countering threats from Hezbollah in Lebanon. Meanwhile, Lebanese and international observers remain concerned about the fragile ceasefire and the potential for renewed widespread violence.