Israeli fighter jets struck the Hadath area in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday, marking the first strike on the Lebanese capital since a ceasefire in November of the previous year largely paused confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah.
Even after the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah on November 27, Israel has persisted with its offensive, targeting areas in southern Lebanon.
As reported by the Associated Press, a loud explosion was heard in Beirut, and smoke was visible rising from the region that Israel’s military had pledged to attack.
This follows the Israeli military’s warning for residents to leave certain areas of a Beirut suburb, pledging to respond to attacks it claimed were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel.
Residents of Hadath rushed to escape in fear following an evacuation alert from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) regarding a structure in the vicinity. According to Reuters, individuals rushed to flee by vehicle and on foot, leading to traffic jams as panic spread throughout the area.
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In light of the recent targeted attacks in Lebanon, Israel’s defense minister stated that without tranquility in Israel’s northern areas, there would be no calm in Beirut as well.
In the meantime, Hezbollah refuted claims of launching rockets at northern Israel. It also charged Israel with attempting to find a justification to keep attacking Lebanon.
Last week, airstrikes by Israel on various sites in Lebanon resulted in the deaths of six individuals.
