For the first time since the ceasefire agreement in November, Israel has launched an airstrike on Hezbollah-controlled southern Beirut. The Israeli military said it targeted a drone storage facility used by Hezbollah on Friday, following an evacuation warning that caused widespread panic.

The attack came just hours after two rockets were fired from southern Lebanon toward northern Israel. While Israel intercepted one rocket, the other failed to cross the border. Hezbollah has denied involvement in the rocket attack, but Israel labeled it a “violation” of the ceasefire, a stance echoed by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who condemned Israel’s airstrike as a breach of the agreement.

Rising Tensions and Political Fallout

Before the strike, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had issued an evacuation warning for a building in Beirut’s Hadath district, prompting hurried evacuations, including school closures. The IDF justified the attack, stating that the earlier rocket fire posed a “direct threat to Israeli civilians” and accused Lebanon of failing to uphold the ceasefire.

Lebanese authorities, meanwhile, insist that Israel’s repeated airstrikes—along with the continued presence of Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon—violate the terms of the truce brokered by France and the United States. President Aoun, currently in Paris, has urged the international community to intervene and pressure Israel to honor the ceasefire.

Ceasefire Under Pressure

Despite the truce, Israel has continued near-daily airstrikes on targets it claims are linked to Hezbollah, arguing that it is preventing the group from rearming. The situation remains volatile, as Hezbollah, backed by Iran, remains the dominant armed force in southern Lebanon, where Palestinian factions such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad also operate.

This latest escalation follows a similar exchange on March 22, when Israel launched airstrikes on southern Lebanon after a rocket barrage from Lebanese territory. Those strikes killed seven people, including a child, and injured 40, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Hezbollah denied involvement and maintained its commitment to the ceasefire.

The November truce halted over a year of intense fighting, which began when Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel following Hamas’ October 7 assault. The conflict led to a devastating Israeli air and ground offensive in Lebanon, resulting in approximately 4,000 deaths and the displacement of more than 1.2 million people.

Israel’s stated goal in its war with Hezbollah has been to secure the return of about 60,000 displaced Israeli citizens from the country’s north and to push Hezbollah forces away from the border. However, with continued airstrikes and retaliatory rocket fire, the fragile ceasefire is under increasing strain