Israel strikes Hezbollah drone sites in Beirut on Eid eve

Post by : Bianca Suleiman

Photo: Reuters

Israel carried out air strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon. The attack happened on Thursday night, just before Eid Al Adha, a very important Islamic holiday. Israel said it was targeting places where Hezbollah, a powerful group based in Lebanon, makes drones.

Before the strike, Israel warned people living in some buildings in the area to leave for their safety. This part of Beirut is known to be where Hezbollah operates. At first, there were no reports of anyone being hurt.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they found a secret Hezbollah unit making thousands of drones underground. They said this group gets money and help from Iran. Even though there has been a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah for the past six months, Israel still carried out the attack.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, strongly criticized the strikes. He said the attacks were a serious and deliberate act against Lebanon’s safety, stability, and economy, especially because it happened just before the holiday and tourist season. He shared his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter).

Many people ran away from the crowded streets in the area after the evacuation warning. This caused heavy traffic jams. Later, large clouds of smoke were seen rising into the sky.

Lebanon’s President, Joseph Aoun, called the strikes a clear violation of an international agreement. He also said it was wrong to attack during such an important religious festival.

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon said the strikes caused fear and panic just before Eid Al Adha. Jeannine Hennis, from the UN, also said it is very important to use talks and diplomacy to solve problems and stop dangerous fighting.

Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, praised the military for doing a “perfect job” with the strikes. He said Lebanon’s government is responsible for stopping any attacks and violations of the ceasefire. The Israeli military also said Hezbollah uses drones a lot to attack Israel, which breaks the rules between the two countries.

Hezbollah did not make any comment right away.

One hour before the strikes, an Israeli military spokesman told people living in three neighborhoods in the southern Beirut area to leave their homes. He said they were living near Hezbollah buildings and shared a map showing the specific places to avoid.

Israel and Hezbollah fought a long war for 13 months from 2023 to 2024. The war ended with heavy bombing by Israel and a ground attack in southern Lebanon in October. Lebanon says about 4,000 people died during that war, many of them civilians, and more than 1.2 million people had to leave their homes. Israel says 80 of its soldiers and 47 civilians were killed.

Israel said the attacks were needed to destroy Hezbollah bases near the border because a UN peacekeeping mission did not stop Hezbollah’s actions. Israel also said it wanted to help about 60,000 people return to their homes in northern Israel after Hezbollah’s attacks.

In late November, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire, but Hezbollah was not part of that deal. After the ceasefire, Israel pulled its troops back, and the Lebanese army started policing the southern part of Lebanon.

The agreement said that both Israel and Lebanon still have the right to defend themselves under international law.

Since then, Israel has carried out more strikes in Lebanon on places linked to Hezbollah. In April, Israel hit a Hezbollah missile store in the same southern Beirut area. Earlier that month, Israel also struck and killed a Hezbollah official and three others.

Lebanon’s government says these attacks and the presence of Israeli soldiers in some parts of southern Lebanon break the ceasefire.

The fighting got worse after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel soon after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Hezbollah said it acted in support of the Palestinians in Gaza.