Israel’s air force conducted an airstrike in a southern suburb of Beirut on Thursday afternoon, as confirmed by the military, amidst heightened tensions in southern Lebanon. The exact target of the strike in the Choueifat suburb was not immediately determined. Videos captured from the vicinity, near Beirut’s international airport, depicted white smoke rising from a residential area.
Recent days have seen mounting tensions in the south, with Israeli troops crossing the strategic Litani River, which serves as a de facto boundary. Despite a ceasefire brokered by Washington since April 17, large portions remain under Israeli military control. This latest incident marks the first attack near the Lebanese capital since May 6, when an Israeli strike in another suburb claimed the life of a military official from Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Forces.
Overnight strikes by Israel across southern Lebanon, including in the city of Tyre, resulted in the deaths of at least 14 individuals, as hostilities continued with Hezbollah. Prior to these attacks, Israel had issued warnings for eight buildings and surrounding areas in Tyre, leading to many residents evacuating. Numerous others sustained injuries, according to reports from the Lebanese Health Ministry and the state-run National News Agency.
Meanwhile, an Israeli soldier was killed in a Hezbollah drone attack in northern Israel, with two reservists also wounded in the incident. The Israeli military issued another evacuation alert for Tyre and its neighboring suburbs on Thursday afternoon.
Amidst the escalating situation, Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi expressed deep concern over the ongoing Israeli assaults on Tyre. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced an expansion of military operations in Lebanon following Hezbollah’s use of fiber-optic exploding drones targeting Israeli troops in Lebanon and northern border towns.
Lebanese and Israeli military officials are scheduled to hold security talks in Washington, seeking to extend a nominal ceasefire that commenced on April 17, despite the recent surge in attacks. Hezbollah has dismissed these talks and instead aligned with its ally Iran, which has linked the resolution of the conflict in Lebanon to its negotiations with Washington facilitated by Pakistan.
Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer stated that Netanyahu had instructed the military to intensify operations in Lebanon, emphasizing the protection of communities in Israel’s north by seizing and fortifying territories. Despite the escalation, Israel intends to continue the U.S.-mediated negotiations with Lebanon in pursuit of disarming Hezbollah and fostering regional security and stability.
In a tragic incident in the city of Sidon, an Israeli drone struck an apartment building housing displaced families, resulting in the deaths of five individuals and injuries to 21 others, including five children. The building housed six apartments of families who had fled from the south to escape prior attacks. Another drone strike in the coastal town of Adloun claimed the lives of six individuals, including two children and their parents, as they were fleeing in a car.
The conflict has resulted in over one million displacements in Lebanon, with significant casualties on both sides since the outbreak of hostilities. The toll includes fatalities and injuries from Israeli strikes and drone attacks, as well as casualties among Israeli soldiers and civilians.