Israel strikes southern Beirut on eve of religious holiday

Israel conducted air strikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut, claiming it aimed at Hezbollah’s drone manufacturing. The assault on Thursday night, just before Eid Al Adha, a significant Islamic celebration, occurred after evacuation alerts for multiple structures in the area where Hezbollah operates in the capital. There were no early reports of injuries.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it discovered a Hezbollah unit manufacturing “thousands” of drones underground, financed by “Iranian terrorists.” The assault took place even though a ceasefire had been in place between Israel and the militant group for the last six months.

The prime minister of Lebanon stated that he “strongly condemns” the attacks.

“I consider them to constitute a systematic and deliberate attack on our homeland, its security, stability, and economy, especially on the eve of the holidays and the tourist season,” Nawaf Salam said in a post on X.

Thousands fled packed streets in the densely populated area following the evacuation warning, causing a traffic gridlock. Plumes of smoke then appeared in the sky.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described the strikes as a “flagrant violation of an international accord” while noting it had occurred “on the eve of a sacred religious festival”.

The strikes “generated renewed panic and fear on the eve of Eid Al-Adha,” the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon wrote on X.

Jeannine Hennis also pointed to the importance of diplomacy in addressing “disputes or threats” and preventing “unnecessary and dangerous escalation”.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz praised the military’s “perfect execution” of the strikes, saying Israel holds the Lebanese government “directly responsible for preventing violations of the ceasefire and all terrorist activity”.

Israel’s military said Hezbollah’s “extensive use” of drones was central to its attacks on Israel, calling the activities “a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon”.

Israel and Hezbollah, backed by Iran, engaged in an intensifying conflict over a 13-month period from 2023 to 2024. It led to a severe Israeli airstrike operation and ground invasion in southern Lebanon in October.

Lebanese officials report that Israel’s strikes have resulted in the deaths of approximately 4,000 individuals in the region, many of whom are civilians, and have caused over 1.2 million people to be displaced. Israeli officials report that over 80 soldiers and 47 civilians have died amid the conflict.

Israel stated that the military action was essential to eliminate Hezbollah facilities near the border that it claimed a UN peacekeeping operation had not been able to prevent. The declared aim was to facilitate the return of approximately 60,000 individuals who had been forced to leave their homes in northern regions of the country due to the group’s assaults.

In late November, a ceasefire was established between Israel and Lebanon – excluding Hezbollah – leading to Israel’s withdrawal and the Lebanese army assuming control of policing in southern Lebanon. The accord additionally specified that its obligations “do not prevent either Israel or Lebanon from exercising their inherent right to self-defense, in accordance with international law”.

In the months since, Israel has conducted air strikes in Lebanon, targeting what it claims are connected to Hezbollah. In April, Israel struck what it called a Hezbollah cache of “precision-guided missiles” in the Dahieh area.

Earlier in the month, it carried out a comparable attack, resulting in the death of a Hezbollah official and three additional individuals, as reported by Lebanon’s health ministry at that time. The government of Lebanon stated that these attacks, along with the ongoing presence of Israeli troops in five areas of southern Lebanon, represent breaches of the ceasefire.

Clashes between Israel and Hezbollah intensified following Hezbollah’s launch of rockets at Israeli targets the day after Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, claiming it was in support of Palestinians in Gaza.