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Israeli strikes hit the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on June 14 afternoon, after Hezbollah was blamed for a morning drone attack on northern Israel.
“The IDF has just struck Hezbollah terror targets in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut, in response to Hezbollah’s firing at Israeli territory,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement.
“Israel will not tolerate fire directed at its territory,” they added.
In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said that it had carried out a “precise” strike on infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah.
The group used the targeted site to advance attacks on Israeli civilians and troops operating in southern Lebanon, according to the military.
“The strike was carried out after the Hezbollah terror organization launched aerial targets at the territory of the State of Israel earlier today,” the IDF said.
The military was referring to three drones launched by Hezbollah that exploded in military zones in northern Israel earlier in the day.
Two drones triggered sirens in the Western Galilee, before impacting near the border settlement of Shlomi in the morning. Later, a third drone struck a military zone near the settlement of Shomera, close to the border with Lebanon. Sirens had sounded in the Upper Galilee.
While no casualties were reported as a result of the drone attack on northern Israel, Lebanese media said that three people were killed and at least 15 others were wounded as a result of the IDF’s strikes on Dahiyeh.
This was Israel’s first strike on the Hezbollah stronghold in a week, with the previous strike also a response to rocket fire on northern Israel. That previous attack caused Iran to fire missiles at Israel, incurring Israeli airstrikes on the Islamic Republic. The two sides then halted their one-day clash under pressure from the United States.
The Israeli strikes could seriously jeopardize the peace deal between the U.S. and Iran, which is reportedly to be finalized now. A complete cessation of hostilities in Lebanon is reported included in the deal.
Iran could respond. In fact, the deputy inspector of the Islamic Republic Khatam al-Anbiya joint military command said that the Israeli attack on the Lebanese capital would not go unanswered. Mohammadjafar Asadi described the strikes on Dahiyeh as a renewed Israeli provocation.
There are already several signs that Israel is not pleased with the upcoming deal between the U.S. and Iran, and taking this into account, the attack on Beirut may be aimed at sabotaging the agreement.
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