Israel bombs Beirut's southern suburbs despite ceasefire
Israel has launched a large airstrike on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, the first heavy bombardment there since a ceasefire agreement ended a war between the occupying regime and the Hezbollah resistance movement in November.
Israeli aircraft “destroyed a residential building in Hadath neighborhood” on Friday, an al-Manar reporter said.
The attack was preceded by smaller targeted drone strikes that were described by Reuters as “warning shots.”
Israel claimed that the building was a drone storage facility belonging to Hezbollah, adding that the attack came after two rockets were allegedly fired from Lebanon earlier in the day.
In a written statement from Paris, where he met his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged the international community to "put an end to these attacks and force Israel to abide by the agreement, just as Lebanon is committed to it."
The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said the exchange of fire across the border between Lebanon and the occupied territories on Friday was "deeply concerning."
"Any exchange of fire is one too many. A return to wider conflict in Lebanon would be devastating for civilians on both sides of the Blue Line and must be avoided at all costs," she said in a written statement.
Also on Friday, Israel conducted deadly strikes on southern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s health ministry said three people were killed and 18 others, including eight women and six children, were injured in a strike on Kfar Tebnit in Nabatieh.
Hezbollah denied firing any missiles, reiterating its commitment to the ceasefire deal.
The movement stressed that such incidents come as part of suspicious pretexts fabricated by Israel to resume its war on Lebanon, which has recently renewed strikes on Gaza.
Lebanon’s army described the attacks as “a blatant and repeated violation of Lebanon's sovereignty” and “a flagrant breach of the ceasefire agreement.”
After enduring substantial losses over almost 14 months of conflict and not achieving its aims in the offensive against Lebanon, Israel had no choice but to agree to a ceasefire with Hezbollah. The ceasefire was implemented on November 27.
Since the initiation of the agreement, the occupying forces have been conducting attacks on Lebanon, violating the ceasefire, which encompasses airstrikes across the Arab nation.
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