Israel attacks Hezbollah targets in Beirut
Israel stated that its armed forces attacked, this Sunday (14), Hezbollah targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut, after the Iran-aligned armed group fired shots into Israeli territory. Lebanon's state news agency reported that two people had died.
Earlier, the Israeli military said Hezbollah launched three projectiles toward communities in northern Israel, calling the action a flagrant violation of the ceasefire.
"The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacked terrorist targets of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in the Dahiyeh neighborhood of Beirut in response to Hezbollah fire on Israeli territory," stated a joint statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.
US and Iran could reach deal
Two people died and four others were injured in the attack, which hit an apartment in Dahiyeh, according to state agency NNA.
Lebanese security sources said the action appears to have been a targeted attack, carried out with two missiles. The Israeli military claimed to have conducted a "precise" operation against a Hezbollah command center.
Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the Israeli statements. However, the group reported launching missiles and drones at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.
Last week, an Israeli strike in Dahiyeh triggered an exchange of attacks between Israel and Iran, raising the risk of jeopardizing a U.S.-Iran agreement that could end the broader conflict in the region.
Washington and Tehran appear to be close to an understanding to end the war, which has lasted more than three months, disrupted energy supplies and shaken the global economy. Leaders of the United States and Pakistan said the agreement could be signed this Sunday.
Iran has long conditioned any more comprehensive agreement with the United States on an end to the fighting in Lebanon.
"Israel will not tolerate firing on its territory," Netanyahu wrote in a post on Platform X after the attack.
South Lebanon
Hours earlier, the Israeli military had issued a broad evacuation warning for residents of at least 30 cities and towns in southern Lebanon.
Israeli forces occupy large areas of southern Lebanon, and Israel says it seeks to dismantle Hezbollah's infrastructure along its border.
Clashes with the Iran-backed group continue in the region, despite the Lebanese government conducting ceasefire negotiations with Israel in Washington.
Hezbollah rejected these negotiations and declared that any ceasefire with Israel must guarantee an end to all hostilities, including military operations in southern Lebanon and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Earlier this month, Israel said fighting in southern Lebanon would continue and warned Lebanese residents not to return to the region.
Hezbollah entered the conflict by launching attacks against Israel on March 2, two days after the United States and Israel began bombings against Iran.
Israel declared it would respond firmly and has since carried out airstrikes that it says have killed thousands of people in Lebanon and displaced more than a million residents.
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Source: CNN