An Israeli air strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut killed at least three people, according to the Ministry of Health of Lebanon, exerting additional pressure on a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese armed group of Hezbollah.
The attack was the second in the region known as Dahieh, where Hezbollah has a strong presence in recent days, despite the truce which has entered into force in November.
The Israeli army said that it had targeted a Hezbollah agent who helped Hamas plan an attack on Israeli civilians. There was no Hezbollah reaction.
Lebanon president Joseph Aoun sentenced the strike, calling him dangerous warning.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said it was a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire.
The strike occurred in the middle of the night, without warning, and the images of the scene show that the first three floors of a building have been damaged.
Israeli Defense Forces (FDI) and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) said in a statement that the army had made a strike in the Dahieh.
The Israeli army said it was targeting a Hezbollah agent who had “recently directed Hamas agents and helped them plan a significant and imminent terrorist attack against Israeli civilians”.
“Due to the immediate threat,” said the army said that it “acted to eliminate it and suppressed the threat.” The soldiers added that he “would continue to operate to prevent any threat to civilians in the State of Israel”.
Last Friday, Israel led its first attack on Beirut since the cease-fire came into force, ending more than 13 months of conflict with Hezbollah, the militia and the political movement supported by Iran.
THE The Israeli army said that it had struck a drone storage unit used by Hezbollah After two rockets were taken from southern Lebanon to northern Israel.
Hezbollah said he had no involvement in the attack on the rockets and remained attached to the ceasefire, and that no other armed group claimed.
Despite the agreement, Israel has carried out near daily air strikes on people and targets which, they believe, are linked to Hezbollah, saying that it acts to prevent Hezbollah from rearm. The Government of Lebanon affirms that these attacks and the permanence of Israeli soldiers in five places in southern Lebanon constitute violations of the truce.
Hezbollah launched its campaign the day after Hamas’ attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, saying that it was acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The long -standing conflict has intensified and has led to an intense Israeli air campaign through Lebanon and a land invasion of southern Lebanon.
The offensive killed around 4,000 people in Lebanon – including many civilians – and led to the displacement of more than 1.2 million residents.
Israel’s declared objective in his war against Hezbollah was to authorize the return of around 60,000 residents who had been moved from the country’s northern communities due to the group’s attacks and to eliminate it from the border.
