Beirut: On Sunday, Israel ordered the evacuation of a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut, which it claimed was being used by the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. According to Israeli authorities, they targeted a Hezbollah warehouse storing "guided missiles," describing it as a threat to "the Israeli state and its citizens."
Live footage released by Reuters showed plumes of smoke rising high into the sky from the building approximately an hour after Israel issued the evacuation order.
Lebanese officials reported no casualties in the attack, and rescue workers were seen extinguishing the fire at the site.
The Lebanese President condemned the attack and urged the United States and France to pressure Israel to halt its operations against Lebanon. The strike comes despite a ceasefire agreement that has been in effect for the past five months.
This is the first time in about a month that Israel has targeted Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut that serves as a stronghold for Hezbollah.
Israel has repeatedly targeted sites it alleges are linked to Hezbollah. In a statement, the Israeli military said the missile storage at the site violated the terms of understanding between Israel and Lebanon and posed a threat to Israel and its citizens.
The Israeli Prime Minister's office stated that Israel will not allow Hezbollah to strengthen itself, adding that Beirut's southern suburbs will not be allowed to serve as a "safe haven for the terrorist organization Hezbollah."
The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, urged all parties on social media platform X to refrain from any actions that could further damage the fragile ceasefire.
