On Friday, Israel’s air force executed a significant strike on a building located in the southern suburbs of Beirut, marking the first substantial bombardment in the area since a truce was established in November, which concluded the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, according to a Reuters reporter.
The Israeli military confirmed that the target was a drone storage facility associated with the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
The attack, which reverberated throughout Beirut and generated a large plume of black smoke, came after the Israeli military issued an evacuation order for the neighborhood. This was preceded by three smaller drone strikes on the building, intended as warning shots, as reported by security sources to Reuters.
The evacuation order caused panic among residents, who hurried to flee on foot while traffic congested the streets, as observed by Reuters reporters in the vicinity.
The southern suburbs of Beirut, known as Dahiyeh and a stronghold for Hezbollah, experienced heavy bombardment from Israeli forces last year, resulting in the deaths of several high-ranking leaders of the group, including its influential chief, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, during a September airstrike.
A U.S.-brokered ceasefire in November ended the hostilities and stipulated that southern Lebanon should be devoid of Hezbollah fighters and weapons, that Lebanese troops would be deployed to the region, and that Israeli ground forces would withdraw from the area.
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Israel’s announcement regarding its operation in Dahiyeh stated that the rocket fire on Friday morning “represents a clear breach of the agreements between Israel and Lebanon and poses a direct threat to the citizens of Israel.”
The statement emphasized that the Lebanese government is responsible for maintaining the terms of the agreement.
On the same day, the Israeli military reported that it targeted Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon after intercepting the incoming rockets.
Israel has pledged a robust response to any threats against its security, raising concerns that last year’s conflict, which resulted in the displacement of over 1.3 million people in Lebanon and significant destruction in the southern region, may reignite.
While in Paris for discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun issued a statement asserting that the international community must “put an end to these attacks and compel Israel to adhere to the agreement, just as Lebanon is committed to it.”
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, expressed that the recent exchange of fire along the southern border is “extremely troubling.”
“Any instance of gunfire is one too many. A return to a broader conflict in Lebanon would be catastrophic for civilians on both sides of the Blue Line and must be prevented at all costs,” she stated in her written remarks.