Three killed in Israeli strike on Beirut, Lebanon health ministry says

An Israeli air strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs has killed at least three people, Lebanon’s health ministry says, putting further pressure on a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

The attack was the second on the area known as the Dahieh, where Hezbollah has a strong presence, in recent days, despite the truce that came into force in November.

The Israeli military said it had targeted a Hezbollah operative who had helped Hamas plan an attack against Israeli civilians. There has been no reaction from Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun condemned the strike, calling it a dangerous warning.

The Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said it was a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire.

The strike happened in the middle of the night, without a warning, and images from the scene show the top three floors of an apartment building had been damaged.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA) said in a statement that the military conducted a strike in the Dahieh.

The Israeli military said it targeted a Hezbollah operative who had “recently directed Hamas operatives and assisted them in planning a significant and imminent terror attack against Israeli civilians”.

“Due to the immediate threat” posed, the military said it “acted to eliminate him and removed the threat”. The military added it would “continue to operate to prevent any threat posed to the civilians of the State of Israel”.

Last Friday, Israel carried out its first attack on Beirut since the ceasefire came into force, putting an end to more than 13 months of conflict with Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia and political movement.

The Israeli military said it had hit a drone storage unit used by Hezbollah after two rockets were fired from southern Lebanon towards northern Israel.

Hezbollah said it had no involvement in the rocket attack and remained committed to the ceasefire, and no other armed group claimed responsibility.

Despite the deal, Israel has carried out near daily air strikes on people and targets it says are linked to Hezbollah, saying it is acting to stop Hezbollah from rearming. Lebanon’s government says those attacks, and the permanence of Israeli soldiers in five locations in southern Lebanon, constitute violations of the truce.

Hezbollah launched its campaign the day after the Hamas attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, saying it was acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The longstanding conflict escalated and led to an intense Israeli air campaign across Lebanon, and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

The offensive killed about 4,000 people in Lebanon – including many civilians – and led to the displacement of more than 1.2 million residents.

Israel’s stated goal in its war against Hezbollah was to allow the return of about 60,000 residents who had been displaced from communities in the country’s north because of the group’s attacks, and to remove it from areas along the border.