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Beirut Strike Escalates
Israel carried out air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, with Lebanese authorities saying at least three people were killed and Lebanon’s civil defence agency reporting at least seven others wounded in the Dahiyeh area.
The Israeli military said it struck “Hezbollah targets” in Dahiyeh in response to firings by Hezbollah towards Israeli territory, and it said Hezbollah had launched three projectiles towards northern Israel in what it described as a blatant ceasefire violation.
The attack intensified pressure on attempts for a US-Iran deal, with the BBC saying the strike came after the US said a deal with Iran would be signed on Sunday.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the strikes on social media, writing that the strikes took place “despite the ceasefire & at a time when the US & Iran are expected to reach an agreement”.
Iran’s chief negotiator and parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the Israeli attacks on Beirut demonstrated that the US “either lacks the will to fulfil its commitments or the ability to do so”.
Trump, Iran, and Hezbollah
In Washington’s framing, Donald Trump said the attack “should not have happened particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran,” while the BBC reported that the strike put further pressure on attempts for a US-Iran deal to end the war.
The BBC also quoted Trump adding, “This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace - Let's not blow it!” as Lebanon’s state media said at least three people were killed and 15 others injured.
Iran vowed to respond, with the BBC reporting that Iran’s senior military official Brig Gen Mohammad Jafar Assadi warned the attack would not go unanswered.
In Tehran, Al Jazeera reported that Iranian officials have repeated that Lebanon would not be separated from the larger deal with the US, and it said this could be “a huge setback for Iran” because of the Israeli strikes.
The New Arab said Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged more attacks on Dahiyeh, with Smotrich calling for action “with determination and force and bring down additional buildings in Dahiyeh today.”
Displacement and Negotiation Risk
Alongside the Beirut strikes, Israel issued forced displacement orders for 29 locations in southern Lebanon, including 25 in Nabatieh district and four in Sidon district, with people told to immediately flee north of the Zahrani River.
The Al Jazeera report said the focus was on Nabatieh, describing it as “one of the only hospitals still functioning in the south” and saying it has been pounded by Israeli air strikes over the last couple of weeks.
The BBC said Iran has insisted that any truce should also include the end of the war in Lebanon, while Israeli officials reject that and said military operations must continue.
NBC News reported that Israel’s evacuation warning earlier on Sunday covered residents of at least 30 towns and villages in southern Lebanon, as Israel said it is seeking to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure on its borders.
In the context of the US-Iran track, Al Jazeera said the prospect of an Iran-US deal has fuelled anxiety across Lebanon, and it recalled that after the US and Iran announced a temporary ceasefire in April, Lebanon suffered its deadliest day of the war with at least 350 people killed.
