Israel Strikes Dahieh In Beirut, Targeting Hezbollah Radwan Force Commander Netanyahu Approved

Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahieh, for the first time since it agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, putting further pressure on a deal that has failed to stop the conflict. The air strike hit Dahieh where Hezbollah is based, and images posted online showed large flames and at least one building heavily damaged. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he personally approved the strike that targeted a commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, with local media reporting the unit’s members were meeting when the attack happened at around 20:00 local time (18:00 BST). There was no reaction from Hezbollah, and the BBC reported that the strike came after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire deal between the governments of Israel and Lebanon on 16 April.

In a statement, Netanyahu said the commander targeted had been responsible for attacks on Israeli communities and for targeting Israeli soldiers, adding, "No terrorist is immune - Israel's long arm will reach every enemy and murderer." The CBC also reported that talks between Israel and Lebanon, supported by the US, continued but largely at the ambassador level, with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun rejecting a meeting with Netanyahu any time soon. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Wednesday that it was premature to talk of any high-level meeting between Lebanon and Israel, and he said shoring up a ceasefire would be the basis for any new negotiations between Lebanese and Israeli government envoys in Washington. The CBC further reported that the Lebanese health ministry said the attacks had killed more than 120 people across the country in the past week alone, including women and children, and that the ministry does not distinguish combatants from civilians.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said on Wednesday that an Israeli airstrike killed four people including two women and an elderly man in the town of Zelaya in southern Lebanon, while the Israeli military said Hezbollah had launched explosive drones and rockets at Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, injuring two. The BBC reported that more than 2,700 people have been killed in Lebanon since 2 March, according to the health ministry, and that Israel has announced 16 soldiers and one civilian have been killed in southern Lebanon, along with two civilians in northern Israel. In parallel, Israel’s strikes continued despite the ceasefire, with the CBC describing that most of Israel’s air strikes have hit southern Lebanon, and that the military said it is striking infrastructure and people linked to Hezbollah. The BBC also noted that Dahieh has remained largely empty since the ceasefire, with residents saying they fear returning home because of the threat of Israeli strikes.