Israel has carried out its first airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs since the fragile truce with Hezbollah came into effect in November 2023, targeting what it claims was a drone storage facility linked to the group.
The Friday night strike came just hours after two rockets were launched from southern Lebanon toward northern Israel. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), one rocket was intercepted, while the other failed to cross into Israeli territory. Though Hezbollah denied involvement, Israel labeled the launch a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement.
In a preemptive move, the IDF issued an evacuation alert to the Hadath neighborhood in Beirut ahead of the strike. Videos on social media showed chaos as residents fled the area and schools evacuated. Panic swept through the capital as smoke later billowed over the southern suburbs, home to Hezbollah’s strongholds.
The Lebanese presidency, reacting strongly, accused Israel of breaching the internationally brokered agreement. President Joseph Aoun, currently in Paris, raised the alarm with French President Emmanuel Macron and leaders of Cyprus and Greece, urging them to pressure Israel to halt further attacks.
“The international community must intervene to ensure Israel honors the truce, just as Lebanon has,” read an official statement on X.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has maintained near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon, citing efforts to prevent Hezbollah from regrouping or rearming. Lebanese authorities argue these repeated incursions — alongside Israel’s continued military presence in five southern locations — are clear violations of the truce terms.
The situation is further complicated by the presence of multiple armed factions in southern Lebanon, including Palestinian groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who also operate in the region.
Friday’s rocket fire marked the second such attack from Lebanon within a week. Just days earlier, Israel launched air raids after multiple rockets were fired into its territory, reportedly killing seven people, including a child, and injuring 40 others. Hezbollah again denied involvement but confirmed its ongoing commitment to the ceasefire.
The 2023 truce had ended more than a year of intense conflict, which began after Hezbollah joined the fight in support of Gaza following the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. That wave of violence led to a deadly Israeli campaign in Lebanon, claiming over 4,000 lives and displacing more than 1.2 million people.
Israel’s stated goal: push Hezbollah away from the border and enable the return of nearly 60,000 displaced Israelis. But with the latest escalation, that objective remains out of reach, and fears grow of a new war front reigniting in the region.
