Israeli fighter jets attacked the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday, for the third time since a ceasefire went into effect last November. The Israeli army gave an alert about an hour earlier to civilians in the Hadath area to move at least 300 meters away from the Hezbollah targets that were hit. There were two preparatory warning strikes after the alert.
A massive plume of smoke billowed over the Al-Jamous neighborhood following the attack, as frantic families scrambled to flee. Fighter jets resounded overhead in Beirut, and gunfire was heard as residents were warned to evacuate. No casualties were reported immediately.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged the United States and France, guarantors of the ceasefire, to put pressure on Israel to stop its attacks. The southern suburbs, Hezbollah strongholds, have been regular targets for Israeli raids, especially during the 14-month war that ended with the US-brokered ceasefire.
The attack follows two previous incidents: a warning on March 28 preceding one, and another on April 1 that claimed four lives, including that of a Hezbollah official. Hezbollah’s deputy leader Sheikh Naim Kassem threatened that further aggression by Israelis may lead the group to employ “alternative actions.”
Meanwhile, an additional Israeli drone strike killed a man in the Lebanese village of Halta in southern Lebanon earlier on Sunday. Israel said the man was a Hezbollah operative involved in rebuilding militant networks.
In spite of the ceasefire accord mandating Israeli withdrawal and Hezbollah withdrawal from the south border, the violations have been ongoing. Israeli troops are still deployed on five hilltops within Lebanese territory, and daily raids have taken the lives of many civilians and Hezbollah fighters. Lebanon’s government continues to urge international intervention to compel Israel’s adherence to the terms of the ceasefire.
