BEIRUT-(MaraviPost)-The Israeli military launched an airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Thursday, marking the first strike near the Lebanese capital in three weeks.
The attack hit a building in Beirut’s southern outskirts, an area known as a Hezbollah stronghold.
Israel said the operation targeted Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon and described it as a precise strike.
Israeli security sources identified the target as Ali al-Husseini, described as head of the missile division within the Imam Hussein Division, a militia aligned with Hezbollah and Iran.
A Lebanese security source said the strike was carried out with two precision missiles on a building in the Choueifat area.
Hezbollah and Iran had not issued an immediate comment on the attack at the time of reporting.
The strike dealt another blow to a fragile ceasefire announced on April 16 that was intended to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
Exchanges of fire have continued since then, but most clashes have been concentrated in southern Lebanon.
Israeli officials said the military had held off from striking Beirut for three weeks following requests from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The latest strike came after what Israeli sources described as “very intense dialogue” with the Trump administration in recent days.
Heavy Israeli strikes also hit towns and villages in southern Lebanon overnight and into Thursday, after Israel declared a new swathe of the area a combat zone.
The escalation comes as Israeli and Lebanese military delegations prepare for U.S.-brokered talks in Washington aimed at ending hostilities.