Three Dead in Israeli Strikes on Beirut Suburbs After Reported Hezbollah Drone Attacks
Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday, killing three people in response to what Israel described as Hezbollah drone and rocket attacks toward northern Israel. These Lebanon strikes came after Lebanon’s civil defence agency reported three dead and six wounded when an apartment in the Ghobeiry neighbourhood of Beirut’s Dahiyeh district was hit. [1]
Beirut Suburbs Strike Kills Three
An Israeli strike hit an apartment in Beirut’s Ghobeiry neighbourhood in the Dahiyeh district, causing three deaths and six injuries according to Lebanon’s civil defence. [1] An AFP correspondent saw smoke and dust rising near a heavily damaged apartment as debris covered the street and people searched for survivors, with panic in the area after the strike along a busy road filled with shops. [1] Lebanon’s National News Agency said a strike hit an apartment in the Ghobeiry neighbourhood of Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh. [1] The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that Hezbollah militants used the headquarters to promote "terrorist" attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon. [3] Lebanon’s National News Agency said the Israeli attack killed at least three people and injured 15 others. [3]
Israeli Account of Hezbollah Attacks
Israel’s military reported two drones launched from Lebanon struck near the Israel-Lebanon border with no casualties, and separately noted troops came under rocket fire in southern Lebanon injuring two soldiers. [1] [2] The Israeli military said two drones, suspected to have been launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon, struck northern Israel on Sunday but caused no casualties. [1] “Two impacts of suspicious aerial targets in Israeli territory were identified near the Israel-Lebanon border. No injuries were reported,” the military said. [1] Hezbollah claims attacks on Israeli troops inside Lebanon, not at northern Israeli communities. [1] Israel’s military had struck Beirut’s southern suburbs last week after saying it had intercepted rockets launched by Hezbollah into Israeli territory. [1]
Netanyahu and Ministers’ Statements
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the Dahiyeh strikes targeted Hezbollah assets in retaliation for fire toward Israeli territory, a policy he said has U.S. backing. [1] Netanyahu’s office said Sunday that the military “carried out strikes in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut against targets belonging to the Hezbollah, in response to Hezbollah’s firing toward Israeli territory”. [1] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that the attack followed Hezbollah firing into Israeli territory, adding that "Israel will not tolerate firing into its territory." [3] Two far-right Israeli ministers earlier Sunday had called for strikes. “The shooting at northern communities is a test of the Dahiyeh Doctrine that the prime minister declared. I call on him to implement it decisively and firmly, and to bring down buildings in Dahiyeh,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on X. [1] “For every drone — a missile; for every violation — fire; for every UAV — Dahiyeh must tremble,” wrote National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on X. [1]
Strikes and Evacuations in Southern Lebanon
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported additional Israeli strikes on more than 20 locations in southern Lebanon including Nabatieh, preceded by evacuation warnings for nearly 30 areas. [1] The strikes came both before and after the Israeli army issued evacuation warnings for almost 30 south Lebanon locations ahead of raids there. [1] Israel’s military activity in recent days has been focused on the region around Nabatieh. [1] A military source told AFP on Sunday that a small Lebanese army force which had been present in Kfar Tibnit, near Nabatieh, evacuated its position there a day earlier after an Israeli incursion into the village. [1] Requesting anonymity, the source emphasised that the Lebanese army was however still present at the Nabatieh barracks. [1] An AFP correspondent saw around a dozen vehicles, including some military trucks and heavy machinery as well as civilian vehicles, heading out of Nabatieh on Sunday. [1]
Iran Issues Retaliation Warnings
Iran warned of a severe retaliation for the Beirut strike, with officials stating it undermines a potential U.S.-Iran peace memorandum and could derail emerging agreements to end hostilities including in Lebanon. [3] On Monday, Iran warned that any further Israeli "aggression and malicious acts," including in southern Lebanon, would trigger a much more "severe and crushing" response from Tehran. [3] Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on social media platform X that Israel's new "aggression" against Beirut once again demonstrated that the United States lacks either the will or the ability to fulfil its commitments. [3] "The bad cop and good cop game has become outdated. If you lack the will and ability to fulfill your commitments, speaking of continuing the path is not possible," Ghalibaf added. [3] Reacting to the Israeli attack in an interview with Iran's Defa Press news agency, Mohammad-Jafar Asadi, deputy inspector of the country's main military command Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said, "undoubtedly, these crimes will not go unanswered." [3]
U.S. Response and Regional Impact
The developments occur as Iran and the United States are reportedly very close to signing a peace memorandum of understanding (MoU), while Tehran insists the agreement must bring an end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. [3] Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Friday night that the signing of a MoU with the United States to end the war could take place within the next few days. [3] U.S. President Donald Trump also said Thursday that the United States had "just made a great settlement of the war with Iran," with an agreement expected "over the next few days." [3] "This morning's attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran," said Trump. [3] "We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down," the U.S. president wrote on Truth Social. [3]
What to watch next: The IDF said it is preparing for possible fire into Israel within hours and remains on high alert, ready for both defensive and offensive scenarios. [3]
