Israeli warplanes strike targets in Beirut's southern suburbs
"A short while ago, the IDF struck a terrorist infrastructure site," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) wrote on its Telegram channel.
It said the places hit were "in the area of Dahieh, a key Hezbollah terrorist stronghold in Beirut."
Two explosions were heard and black smoke could be seen, dpa reporters at the scene confirmed.
It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties.
The Hezbollah-run al-Manar television station reported three warning drone strikes before the big attack took place.
Local media reports showed at least two buildings leveled to the ground following the attack.
The IDF had previously issued a warning to residents of the affected neighbourhood on X, saying they were close to Hezbollah facilities.
Earlier the army said "two rockets were fired from Lebanon towards Israel. One of the rockets was intercepted, while the second fell inside Lebanese territory," Avichay Adraee, the Arabic spokesman of the Israeli army said on X.
Hezbollah has denied any links with the rocket firing.
Warning sirens were heard in areas of northern Israel which are close to the Lebanese border, Lebanese security sources said.
The sources said two loud explosions were heard across southern Lebanon.
The same sources told dpa the Israeli army retaliated by shelling a series of villages in southern Lebanon.
Israeli shells fell on Qaqaait al-Jisr, Khiam and Kfar Kela. Israeli drones were also heard flying over villages in several areas of southern Lebanon and the capital Beirut.
Adraee, shortly before the strike, issued a warning to residents of the al Hadath neighbourhood on the outskirts of Beirut's southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hezbollah, to evacuate certain buildings in the area.
Shortly after the warning came from the Israeli army, people were seen rushing out of buildings near the area where the Israeli army said they will hit.
Lines of cars were seen leaving al Hadath area, according to an eyewitness. People were panicking as parents rushed to pick their children up from school, a dpa reporter observed.
This is the first warning by the Israeli army to residents in Beirut's southern suburbs since the ceasefire was implemented in November.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salan called on the Lebanese army commander to move quickly to conduct the necessary investigations to uncover the parties behind the irresponsible rocket fire, which threatens Lebanon's security and stability.
He stressed the need to prevent the recurrence of such acts, while emphasizing the need to complete the measures taken by the Lebanese Army to restrict the possession of weapons to the state.
Salam also made a series of calls to Arab and international officials to exert maximum pressure on Israel to halt its repeated attacks.
He reiterated Lebanon's full commitment to implementing UN Resolution 1701 and the cessation of hostilities arrangements, and said the Lebanese Army alone is responsible for protecting the border, and "that the Lebanese state is the sole authority to decide on war and peace."
A ceasefire has been in place in Lebanon between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia since November.
The deal paused more than a year of intense cross-border shelling, which intensified when Israel launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon in October.
The conflict broke out following the October 7, 2023, attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israeli troops are due to completely withdraw from southern Lebanon. However, they have remained at five strategic points, which the Lebanese government considers a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
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The Hill
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Iran's president mocks Netanyahu over pledge of help in water crisis
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NBC News
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Why Arab rulers aren't more vocal about Gaza as global outcry grows
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The Intercept
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Read our complete coverage The brief section on press freedom in the new report also offers a whitewash of the slaughter of Palestinian journalists. It reads: 'NGOs and journalists reported authorities restricted press coverage and limited certain forms of expression, especially in the context of criticism against the war or sympathy for Palestinians in Gaza.' That is a watered-down version of an already cautious chronicle in last year's report, which stated: 'NGOs and Palestinian journalists reported authorities restricted press coverage and limited certain forms of expression, particularly for Palestinians. These included restricting Palestinian journalists' movement in Israel, as well as using violence, arrests, intimidation, imprisonment, and closure of media outlets on security grounds, according to the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms.' The report released in 2024 also cited figures from the Committee to Protect Journalists on the number of reporters and other media workers killed. Paul, the former State Department official, noted that the new report 'suggests that scores of journalists have been killed 'due to the Israel-Hamas conflict' — rather than, as is the case, 'by Israel' — while also reporting with a straight face Israel's claim that 'a number of individuals who posed as journalists … were members of or had direct ties to Hamas and other terrorists in Gaza.'' On Sunday, Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif was killed alongside several other colleagues in a targeted Israeli attack on a tent housing journalists in Gaza City. The Al Jazeera Media Network condemned the killings as 'yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom.' The section on torture in this year's report on Israel focuses on the physical, psychological, and sexual abuse of Israeli hostages by Hamas. Regarding torture of Palestinian prisoners by Israel, the report says, 'Shin Bet (the Israel Security Agency) and police used violent interrogation methods that it referred to as 'exceptional measures,' but the Ministry of Justice did not provide information regarding the frequency of interrogations or the specific interrogation methods used.' Last year's report referred to 'reports of systemic torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment of Palestinian detainees in prison facilities after October 7.' 'This contrast demonstrates most clearly that from the perspective of the Trump administration, if a U.S. partner abuses human rights, Washington does not care,' said Sheline, who also resigned, in March 2024, to protest the Biden administration's support for Israel's war in Gaza. 'This will have implications far beyond the actions of Israel's murderous regime, contributing to all U.S. security partners knowing they can abuse their populations with impunity.' Officially called 'Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,' the annual documents are required by law to be 'a full and complete report regarding the status of internationally recognized human rights' in nearly 200 countries and territories worldwide. They are used 'by the U.S. Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches as a resource for shaping policy and guiding decisions, informing diplomatic engagements, and determining the allocation of foreign aid and security sector assistance,' according to the State Department. 'The Human Rights Reports have been among the U.S. Government's most-read documents,' said Charles Blaha, a 32-year State Department official and now senior adviser to DAWN, a nonprofit organization that promotes democracy and human rights in the Middle East and North Africa. 'This year, the Israel, West Bank, and Gaza Reports' significant omissions render them functionally useless for Congress and the public as nothing more than a pro-Israel document.'
