Israel Orders Strikes On Beirut’s Southern Suburbs As Hezbollah Fires Rockets

BEIRUT (AP) — The Israeli government ordered an attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday, a day after ground forces reached the area. deepest point In 26 years, Hezbollah in Lebanon has fired rockets into northern Israel, including the outskirts of the coastal city of Haifa.

In the joint statement made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, truce Due to “attacks on our cities and citizens” by Hezbollah, the Israeli army was ordered to attack targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut, known in Arabic as Dahiyeh.

Hezbollah agreed to stop attacks on Israel when a ceasefire was signed in mid-April, but they resumed after what Israel described as self-defense attacks in Lebanon.

Following the warning on Monday, many people were seen fleeing Dahiya and blocking the roads leading out of the suburb, where Hezbollah has wide support.

The state-run National News Agency said six people, including a Syrian citizen living in a village near the city of Nabatieh, were killed in an overnight Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said its Air Force intercepted two projectiles launched from Lebanon towards Israeli territory, as well as a suspected aerial target in the area of ​​southern Lebanon where Israeli troops were operating. The military said no injuries were reported.

Hezbollah announced that it launched rocket and missile attacks on northern Israel on Sunday.

The latest attacks come despite a so-called ceasefire in effect since April 17 and just before Lebanon and Israel hold their next round of direct talks in Washington on Tuesday. Hezbollah has rejected direct talks with Washington, relying on pressure from Iran, which is demanding an end to the war in Lebanon.

Meetings between senior officials from Israel and Lebanon started in April This is the first time in more than three decades that this has happened in Washington between countries that do not have official diplomatic relations.

Beirut has been largely spared from air strikes since the ceasefire took effect, except for two targeted attacks on the city’s southern suburbs in May.

As President Donald Trump discusses a temporary extension of the ceasefire with Iran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to propose a new path to continue ongoing negotiations, a U.S. official said late Sunday.

Under the proposal, Hezbollah would stop all attacks against Israel and Israel would refrain from increasing military operations in Lebanon’s capital Beirut, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in private diplomatic conversations.

The official said Aoun was open to the idea, but Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri responded by demanding that Israel first halt all military operations.

The Trump administration does not expect Israel to stop retaliating against Hezbollah’s attacks on its territory, the official said.

Berri, a key ally of Hezbollah, said on Sunday that he could guarantee the militant group’s “full, comprehensive and immediate commitment to the ceasefire.” Berri: “But who will force Israel to stop its aggression?” he added.

“Lebanon is facing a fierce Israeli attack and it is condemned,” Aoun said in a statement from his office on Monday. Aoun added that his government continues to work to end “the suffering of the Lebanese in general and the southerners in particular.”

Recent clashes between Israel and Hezbollah have left 3,412 people dead and more than 1 million displaced in Lebanon.

The Israeli army announced that a soldier was killed overnight in a Hezbollah drone attack in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah’s use of hard-to-detect fiber optic drones has proven fatal for the Israeli military, which has struggled to respond.

At least 26 Israeli soldiers and one defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon, according to Netanyahu’s office. Two civilians were also killed in northern Israel.

Melzer reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report from Washington.