Israel Attacks Beirut for the First Time Since Ceasefire with Hezbollah

The Israeli army attacked Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, for the first time since the ceasefire with Hezbollah ended last December. This attack occurred on Friday, April 8, after the Israeli army issued an urgent warning for the evacuation of areas in the suburbs of Beirut, threatening to respond to attacks reportedly launched from Lebanon towards northern Israel. An Israeli army spokesperson stated that they targeted 'the drone storage infrastructure' of Hezbollah in the Dahieh area, south of Beirut. The Israeli army claims that Hezbollah has placed this infrastructure 'in the heart of the civilian population, which is another example of Hezbollah's inhumane exploitation of Lebanese citizens as human shields.' Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, reacted by calling Israel's attacks 'unacceptable' and stated that this action constitutes a 'violation of the ceasefire.' He mentioned that such attacks benefit Hezbollah. Macron also announced that he would discuss this attack with U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the coming hours. Reports from Beirut indicate that many people fled the area following the Israeli army's warning to residents in the south of the city. Simultaneously, Reuters reported that Lebanon's Ministry of Education also requested schools and universities to evacuate their buildings. This news came after the Israeli army warned 'all those present in Dahieh, especially in the Hadath neighborhood,' to evacuate the area. In a message from Avichai Adraee, the army spokesperson, a building marked in red was highlighted, stating: 'To all those in the building marked in red and surrounding buildings: You are near Hezbollah bases.' Following this message on Friday, Lebanon's official news agency reported a significant wave of people fleeing from the Dahieh area, particularly the Hadath neighborhood. According to Reuters, prior to this warning, Israel had bombed several 'Hezbollah-related' targets in southern Lebanon after a missile was launched towards Israel. A senior Hezbollah official denied any involvement of the group in the missile launch. Meanwhile, the Lebanese army stated that it had identified the location from which the missiles were fired towards Israel. According to the army's statement, the missiles were launched from the Qaqaiya al-Jisr area in Nabatieh and north of the Litani River, and the army is attempting to find those responsible for this incident. On the other hand, Nawaf Salam, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, described the Israeli airstrike in southern Beirut as a 'dangerous escalation of tension.' This is the first time since the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah four months ago that Israel has issued evacuation warnings to the people again. On April 2, Israel also reported intercepting three rockets fired from within Lebanon towards Israel, approximately six kilometers from the border, and announced a series of air and artillery strikes on southern Lebanon. The Israeli army warned that it would intensify its attacks on Hezbollah positions in response to any provocative actions from the group. Last week, Israel stated that contrary to the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah continues to maintain its military bases and infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, Beirut and Hezbollah accuse Israel of occupying Lebanese territory, pointing to the continued presence of Israeli forces in five elevated border points within Lebanese territory.