Israel bombs Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut's Dahieh after three drones strike northern Israel
Israeli airstrikes hit Hezbollah infrastructure in the Dahieh suburb on Sunday, hours after three explosive drones launched by the militia struck near the border without causing injuries.
The strikes on Dahieh
The Israeli Air Force struck what the military called "terrorist targets" of Hezbollah in Beirut's southern suburbs on Sunday afternoon. In a joint statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the attack was a direct response to Hezbollah fire on Israeli territory. Arab television footage showed large plumes of smoke rising from the Dahieh area, with residents reporting at least two explosions. No immediate casualty figures were available.
The strike came in response to the fire on Israeli territory by Hezbollah.
Hezbollah's drone attack
Earlier on Sunday morning, Hezbollah launched three explosive drones toward northern Israel, according to the Israeli military. Two impacts were confirmed on Israeli soil near the Lebanese border, one of them in the area of the town of Shlomi. Air-raid sirens sounded in several border communities, but no injuries were reported. Hezbollah has not yet commented on the operation.
Evacuation warnings and the Dahieh doctrine
Shortly after the drone impacts, the IDF's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee issued two successive warnings on X, calling on residents of 29 locations in southern Lebanon to move to safety ahead of planned strikes. The initial alert covered 13 villages, and a second added 16 more north of the Sahrani River. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich later wrote on X that the airstrike was a test of the "Dahieh doctrine" declared by Netanyahu, under which any attack on northern Israel would be met with an immediate strike on Hezbollah's stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The attack is a test of the Dahieh doctrine.
- Hezbollah launches three explosive drones; two impact near border in northern Israel, no injuries.
- IDF Arabic spokesman warns residents of 29 locations in southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of planned strikes.
- Israeli airstrikes hit Hezbollah targets in Beirut's Dahieh suburb.
- Finance Minister Smotrich calls the strike a test of the Dahieh doctrine.
US-Iran deal in the background
Multiple reports noted that the anticipated agreement between the United States and Iran is expected to renew and possibly strengthen the theoretical ceasefire on the Israeli-Lebanese front. That prospect has drawn considerable criticism in Israel. The mention of the deal came as airstrikes resumed, less than a week after similar attacks on Dahieh had triggered an Iranian missile barrage against Israel.
