Israel bombs Beirut hours before start of Eid al-Adha; spark outrage

Lebanese leaders have strongly condemned Israel for what they described as a “flagrant” breach of the ceasefire agreement, following a series of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Beirut. The attacks, carried out on the eve of Eid al-Adha, represent Israel’s most significant escalation in Lebanon since the US-brokered truce was reached in November.

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the strikes targeted underground drone production sites operated by Hezbollah’s aerial unit in the Dahieh district, a known stronghold of the group. The IDF described the facilities as part of Hezbollah’s broader plan to expand its unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities in anticipation of future conflict.

Thick smoke rose from parts of the Lebanese capital as residents evacuated the area in panic, leading to traffic gridlock. Before the strikes began, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, warned civilians in neighbourhoods such as Hadath, Haret Hreik and Borj el-Barajneh to leave immediately, claiming they were near Hezbollah infrastructure. A social media post included a map highlighting the buildings allegedly connected to the group.

Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, issued a statement condemning the Israeli action as a “blatant violation” of international law and a breach of humanitarian principles. He denounced the timing of the strike, just hours before the start of a sacred religious festival, and accused Israel of using Lebanon as a conduit to send messages to the United States, which is currently involved in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also condemned the strikes, blaming Israel for violating the November 27 ceasefire, which aimed to bring peace between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, and normalise ties with Lebanon. That conflict with Hezbollah, which intensified with the Gaza war, witnessed a prolonged Israeli bombardment and a ground incursion into southern Lebanon. It led to the death of about 4,000 people and displaced more than 12 lakh, most of them civilians.

Israel has defended its continued operations by claiming the need to neutralise Hezbollah's military infrastructure in areas where it says UN peacekeepers have failed. The Israeli military has justified its presence in five southern Lebanese positions as necessary for national security and the eventual return of tens of thousands of Israeli citizens displaced by Hezbollah attacks on northern communities.

The ceasefire stipulated that Hezbollah fighters would pull back north of the Litani River and dismantle southern positions, while Israel would withdraw from Lebanese territory. Lebanon’s government says it has kept its side of the bargain. Prime Minister Salam reported that the army has dismantled over 500 Hezbollah positions and arms depots in the south. Nevertheless, Israeli airstrikes have continued. In April, two separate attacks in Dahieh targeted what Israel claimed were missile depots and resulted in the deaths of a senior Hezbollah official and three others.

A Hezbollah spokesperson denied that the latest targets were related to drone production and criticised Israel for bypassing the ceasefire’s verification mechanism. A Lebanese army official confirmed that they had asked Israel to allow an inspection of the sites in question, but the Israeli military refused, prompting Lebanese troops to withdraw from the area for their own safety.There was no immediate response from Hezbollah following the strikes.

Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, posted a message shortly after the operation, stating: “We hold the Lebanese government directly responsible for preventing violations of the ceasefire and all terrorist activity against the State of Israel. We will continue to enforce the ceasefire rules without any compromises.”