Israel Launches Airstrikes Near Beirut For First Time Since Cease-fire

The Israeli military launched airstrikes in the southern outskirts of Beirut on Friday for the first time since a U.S.-brokered cease-fire came into effect in November, shattering months of tense calm in the Lebanese capital and stoking fears of a further escalation.

The bombardment came after rockets were fired at northern Israel from Lebanese territory earlier in the day, setting off air-raid sirens in three communities near the border. The Israeli military subsequently ordered residents of the densely populated Hadath neighborhood of Dahiya, an area on the southern edges of Beirut, to evacuate from the vicinity of a building there.

Less than two hours later, the airstrikes began.

The Israeli military said it had targeted a site that stored Hezbollah’s drones, but did not explicitly blame the Lebanese militant group for the rocket fire earlier in the day. Hezbollah denied any involvement in the attack on Israel and said it remained committed to the cease-fire.

But this was the second such exchange of fire in less than a week, prompting fears that the truce between Israel and Hezbollah could unravel. At least three people were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Friday, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The Lebanese military said it was investigating who had fired the rockets. Hezbollah, which is struggling to recover from the devastating 14-month conflict with Israel, has little desire to risk reigniting a conflict, according to experts.

But Palestinian armed groups like Hamas also maintain a sizable presence in Lebanon, operating mostly from decades-old refugee camps. During the war in Gaza, these groups have intermittently launched rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel.