Israel launched a series of airstrikes targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut early Monday, following a rare attack by Hezbollah against northern Israel. The strikes targeted the Dahye district, with reports from the Spanish news agency EFE detailing large plumes of smoke rising from impact sites and explosions heard across the city.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced via X, formerly Twitter, that the operation was a “selective strike” against Hezbollah commanders in the Beirut area. A separate, “key” Hezbollah operative was also reportedly targeted in southern Lebanon, according to the IDF statement.
This escalation follows a Hezbollah attack on Israeli military installations south of the city of Haifa, marking the group’s first such action since the implementation of a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel at the conclude of 2024. Hezbollah, in a released statement, claimed the Haifa attack was in retaliation for the alleged assassination of Ayatollah Ali Jameneh, the supreme leader of Iran, during recent Israeli and American bombing campaigns.
The Dahye district experienced heavy bombardment during the 2024 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, spanning September and November. Sporadic attacks have occurred in the area since the ceasefire agreement.
Hezbollah is a key ally of Iran, and has been accused of receiving arms and funding from Tehran. According to information from Wikipedia, Hezbollah was founded in 1982 and is a Shia Islamist Lebanese political party and paramilitary group. Its paramilitary wing is known as the Jihad Council. The group’s ideology includes Shia Islamism, Khomeinism, and anti-Zionism. The Lebanese government had reportedly been engaged in diplomatic efforts to prevent Hezbollah’s involvement in the event of a potential U.S. Attack on Iran.
As of Monday afternoon, Hezbollah had not issued a further statement regarding the Israeli strikes. The IDF has not released details regarding the identities of those targeted or the extent of the damage caused by the airstrikes.
