Israel strikes Beirut suburbs after Hezbollah fires at northern Israel

The question hanging over Sunday’s strike was whether it was a one-off retaliation or the first crack in a Washington-brokered truce that was already under strain. Israel hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, after Hezbollah fired projectiles toward northern Israel, and Lebanese state media said at least two people were killed and at least 11 were wounded.

The Israeli military said it intercepted two rockets after sirens sounded in the border communities of Yiftah and Ramot Naftali. Israeli leaders had warned that if northern communities came under attack during the truce, the Israel Defense Forces would strike Beirut’s southern suburbs. Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and Defense Minister Israel Katz framed the operation as retaliation and said the targets were Hezbollah command centers and infrastructure.

The strike marked a sharp break from the restraint that had held since President Donald Trump intervened days earlier to stop a threatened Beirut attack, according to officials familiar with the diplomacy. Lebanese officials said the understanding was that Israel would avoid striking the capital while Hezbollah halted attacks on Israel. That arrangement had already weakened: Israel had struck Dahiyeh twice since the ceasefire brokered in Washington took effect on April 17, even as fighting continued in South Lebanon.

The wider war has already imposed a severe toll on Lebanon. United Nations reporting said thousands of people fled Beirut’s southern suburbs on June 1 after Israel renewed its threats to strike, and the UN said more than 1.2 million people across Lebanon have been uprooted by the conflict. OCHA, citing Lebanese health authorities, said 3,412 people had been killed and more than 10,000 injured since March 2.

UN officials, including Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and Stéphane Dujarric, have urged all sides to respect the cessation of hostilities and warned that civilians and civilian infrastructure must not be targeted. But the latest exchange showed how narrow the space has become for U.S. diplomacy: Israeli officials still believe punishment can deter Hezbollah, Hezbollah has not immediately claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, and Lebanese and Israeli officials are still in Washington talks over a fuller ceasefire. Iran has already warned that an attack on Beirut could trigger a return to full-scale war, leaving the truce balanced on its weakest hinge yet.