Early Tuesday morning, while many were celebrating Eid al-Fitr, an Israeli airstrike shattered the pre-dawn quiet of Beirut. The attack, targeting a building in Lebanon’s capital, claimed at least four lives—including a woman—and left seven others wounded, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health.
This marks the second Israeli strike on Beirut in just three days, raising serious questions about the durability of the four-month-old ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israeli military officials claim they targeted Hassan Bdeir, allegedly a member of both Hezbollah and Iran’s Quds Force. According to their statement, Bdeir was working with Hamas to plan what they described as a “significant and imminent terror attack against Israeli civilians.” However, Israel provided no evidence to support these claims, and Hezbollah has not yet issued a response.
The previous strike had targeted Dahiyeh, a southern suburb known as a Hezbollah stronghold. This pattern of renewed aggression has Lebanese officials deeply concerned.
President Joseph Aoun described the attack as a “dangerous warning” about Israel’s intentions toward Lebanon. “Israel’s persistence in its aggression requires more effort from us in addressing Lebanon’s friends around the world and rallying them in support of our right to full sovereignty over our land,” Aoun stated.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam echoed these sentiments, condemning the strike as a “flagrant breach” of both UN Resolution 1701 and the existing ceasefire arrangement. Salam indicated he’s closely monitoring the aftermath in coordination with defense and interior ministers.
The November ceasefire, brokered with guarantees from France and the United States, was supposed to end a year of conflict between the two sides. Its terms required Israeli ground troops to withdraw from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah fighters to pull back, allowing Lebanese troops to deploy to the region.
Despite these arrangements, both parties have repeatedly accused each other of violations, and with rescue operations still ongoing after this latest strike, the situation remains highly volatile. The repeated breaches of the agreement raise significant concerns that the fragile peace between Israel and Hezbollah could be on the verge of collapse.
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