Israeli fighter jets struck Beirut‘s southern suburbs on Sunday, marking the third attack on the area since a ceasefire took effect in late November.
The strike, which came about an hour after a warning was issued, targeted Hezbollah facilities in the Hadath area, the Israeli military said. Residents were urged to move at least 300 meters away from the site before the attack.
Fighter jets were heard flying over parts of the Lebanese capital before the strike. Gunfire was shot into the air to warn residents to evacuate, causing panic among families.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the strike and called on the United States and France to pressure Israel to halt its attacks, warning that continued Israeli actions could destabilise the region.
UN special coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis also voiced concern, saying the strike had “generated panic and fear of renewed violence” and urged all sides to avoid undermining the fragile ceasefire.
This latest attack follows earlier Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs on March 28 and April 1. The April 1 strike, which was unannounced, killed four people, including a Hezbollah official.
Hezbollah’s deputy leader Sheikh Naim Kassem warned that the group might take further action if Israeli attacks continue and Lebanese authorities do not intervene. He also reaffirmed that Hezbollah fighters will not disarm as long as Israeli forces remain in southern Lebanon and continue violating Lebanese airspace.
Under the US-brokered ceasefire that ended the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war, Israel was supposed to withdraw from all Lebanese territory by late January, while Hezbollah agreed to end its armed presence south of the Litani River.
