Beirut, Lebanon. An Israeli strike hit a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Thursday, the first strike near the Lebanese capital in weeks as a ceasefire failed to halt fighting between Israeli troops and Hezbollah in south Lebanon.
Strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs
The Israeli military said it carried out a precise strike in Beirut but did not provide additional details. Two Israeli security sources said the target was Ali al-Husseini, whom they described as head of the missile division within the Imam Hussein Division, a militia Israeli officials say is aligned with Hezbollah and Iran.
There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah or Iran. A Lebanese security source said the attack was carried out with two precision missiles targeting a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Ceasefire under strain
The strike marked another setback for a ceasefire announced by Washington on April 16 that was meant to halt the war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah since March 2.
Exchanges of fire between the two sides have continued, but they have mostly been concentrated in southern Lebanon. Aside from a strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs in early May that killed a Hezbollah commander, the capital and its suburbs had been spared new bombardment during the truce.
US involvement and overnight strikes
Israeli officials said the military had held off striking Beirut for three weeks because of requests from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. Israeli surveillance drones have continued flying over Beirut daily.
The two Israeli security sources said Thursday’s strike came after a “very intense dialogue” with the Trump administration in recent days.
Heavy Israeli strikes also hit towns and villages in southern Lebanon overnight and into Thursday after Israel declared a new swathe of the area “a combat zone.”