BEIRUT/TEL AVIV (dpa-AFX) – Despite the ceasefire actually announced in Lebanon, Israel’s military has again attacked the suburbs of the capital Beirut. The army attacked “terrorist headquarters” in response to Hezbollah’s shelling of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said. There was initially no comment from the USA, which is mediating in Lebanon and at the same time trying to agree on a framework agreement with Iran. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards had warned that an attack on Beirut would spark another all-out war.
At least two people were killed and 11 others injured in the attacks in Beirut, Lebanese state agency NNA reported. Videos from eyewitnesses showed thick clouds of smoke in the Beirut suburbs known as Dahija, considered a Hezbollah stronghold but also densely populated. Eyewitnesses described severe damage to one of the buildings over several floors. Israeli media reported that the attack targeted Hezbollah’s headquarters.
Israel has significantly restricted attacks in the Beirut area since an official ceasefire came into force in mid-April. US President Donald Trump also announced a halt to Israeli attacks and an end to Hezbollah attacks on Israel. However, Israel had threatened to attack these areas again in the event of Hezbollah attacks on Israel and once again forced residents of the suburbs to flee. According to official figures, more than 3,600 people were killed and 11,000 others injured in Lebanon in the recent war.
Rockets again in northern Israel
The north of Israel had recently been attacked again with rockets from Lebanon. The army said the missile defense intercepted two projectiles that had penetrated into Israeli territory. Hezbollah claimed several attacks on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. Here too, Israel continued its attacks.
Hezbollah and its main backer Iran are now under pressure to respond to the latest attack in the Beirut area. Iran had described renewed attacks by Israel on the suburbs of Beirut as a red line that would mean a new escalation in the war with the USA and Israel.
Looking at Lebanon and Hezbollah, analyst Ali Risk told the Al Jazeera news channel that there is a risk of a return to all-out war if Hezbollah responds. A response from the militia would therefore be a “risky step”. The Shiite organization does not react, but also allows such attacks to become the “new norm” in southern Beirut.
Netanyahu: “Hezbollah is on the run”
“We will not allow Hezbollah to fire on our territory and our communities – and we will act accordingly,” Netanyahu said on Sunday at the start of a cabinet meeting. In Lebanon, the Israeli army killed 350 “terrorists” in the course of a week. “We are attacking them very hard, and we know that Hezbollah is on the run,” Netanyahu said.
According to US information, on Thursday night Israel and Lebanon agreed on a new attempt to implement the ceasefire, which has so far had little effect. Hezbollah rejected the agreed conditions, and new militia attacks followed shortly afterwards.
Impact on Iran-USA negotiations?
At the same time, the Israeli attack near Beirut could jeopardize the ongoing negotiations between the USA and Iran in the parallel war. The interior minister of mediator Pakistan, Mohsin Naqvi, is currently in Tehran to get the stalled talks back on track.
The Iranian parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf strongly condemned the Israeli attacks on the suburbs of Beirut and threatened consequences. The “green light” for the attacks makes American and Israeli bases legitimate targets for Iran, Ghalibaf wrote on Platform
According to Iranian media reports, Pakistani Interior Minister Naqvi, through Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, transmitted a written, sealed message from Pakistani army chief Asim Munir to the new Iranian supreme leader, Moschtaba Khamenei. The 56-year-old cleric has had the final say on all strategic matters since his appointment in March under the Iranian constitution.
Tehran has repeatedly said that an agreement in the conflict with the USA is only possible if the ceasefire is adhered to on all fronts. This is particularly true in Lebanon, where the Hezbollah militia is Tehran’s most important ally in the resistance axis against the arch-enemy Israel. The Iranian armed forces, especially the Revolutionary Guards, have also repeatedly threatened retaliatory strikes against Israel – but have not yet implemented these./DP/zb