Israel Bombarda Beirut for the first time after ceasefire

France says bombing in the Lebanese capital violates a truce agreement. Attack occurs after rocket shots at Israeli territory.

Israel held on Friday (28/03) an air strike in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, for the first time since the beginning of the ceasefire that ended the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in November last year.

The attack targeted a building in the suburbs south of Beirut and, according to Israel’s defense forces (IDF), was a response to the firing of rockets that would have been thrown from Lebanese territory.

IDF stated that it targeted an installation of drone storage belonging to the armed group Hezbollah, supported by Iran.

The Lebanon National News Agency confirmed that “Israeli war planes hit the Hadath neighborhood in the suburbs of southern Beirut.”

Israel also bombarded Hezbollah targets in the southern neighboring country, the Israeli military said.

Macron says attacks on beirut violate the ceasefire

Speaking alongside Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who was visiting Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron called bombing as “unacceptable,” argued that he violates the ceasefire rules and said such attacks “make the Hezbollah game.”

France is part of the committee in charge of supervising the ceasefire.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, however, accused the Lebanese government of direct responsibility for the attack. “If there is no tranquility in Kiryat Shmona and in the communities of Galilee, there will be no tranquility in Beirut.”

The suburbs of the southern Beirut, a hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh, were also hit last year by Israeli attacks that killed the group’s main leaders | AFP

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said the Southern Frontier Exchange on Friday was “deeply worrying.”

Hezbollah denies responsibility for attacks on Israel

Hezbollah denied involvement in two rocket attacks against Israel that took place this Friday and last Saturday.

The group said it is still committed to the ceasefire agreement.

The conflict began after Hezbollah attack Israel with rockets and artillery one day after Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.

The aggression became a broader conflict, with Israel leading an intense bombing campaign in Beirut and sending land troops.

According to the ceasefire agreement, the Lebanese army would send more soldiers south, and Hezbollah would remove its fighters and weapons. The truce also forced an Israeli partial withdrawal from the southern.

Originally published by DW on 28/03/2025