Israel has struck Beirut for the first time since June, in an attack that killed five people and wounded 25, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health.
The Israeli military said the strike on Sunday killed Hezbollah’s chief of staff, Haytham Tabatabai, and warned the Lebanese-based group against rearming a year after the two ended their latest war.
Hezbollah has confirmed Tabatabai’s death and warned that the attack threatened to escalate hostilities as Pope Leo XIV prepares to visit Lebanon.
While Sunday’s attack was the first to target the capital, Israeli air strikes over southern Lebanon have intensified in recent weeks.
At the same time, Israel and the United States continue to pressure Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah, which was a condition of the ceasefire deal that brought an end to the war a year ago. Israel claims the group is trying to rebuild its military capabilities.
The Lebanese government has denied those claims. It says troops have been deployed to Hezbollah’s stronghold southern areas, but that its cash-strapped army requires more resources.
Hezbollah has not attacked Israel since the ceasefire began.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun condemned the strike in a statement and accused Israel of refusing to uphold its part of the ceasefire agreement.
He called on the international community to “intervene with strength and seriousness to stop the attacks on Lebanon and its people”.
Israel’s military said it remains committed to the “understandings” agreed upon.
Last week, Lebanon’s president said the country is ready to enter negotiations with Israel to halt the continuing air strikes and withdraw from five hilltop points that it occupies on Lebanese territory.
He also insisted that Lebanon remains committed to disarming all non-state actors in the country, including Hezbollah.