Israel targets Hezbollah chief in first strike on Beirut in months

Israel’s military said that it targeted Hezbollah’s chief of staff, without giving further details.

Smoke could be seen in the busy Haret Hreik neighborhood, with one video circulated on social media showing dozens of people crowded around the area of the strike, which appeared to be on the fourth floor of an apartment building.

“This is definitely a civilian area and void of any military presence, especially the neighborhood where we stand,” Hezbollah parliamentarian Ali Ammar told reporters near the scene. Ammar did not give details on who the attack targeted.

The building stood after the strike which caused debris to fall on cars parked below. Gunshots could be heard to disperse the crowds as rescue workers and firefighters reached the apartment building. The Lebanese military cordoned off the area.

The strike in the south of the capital is the first on Beirut since June and comes days before Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit the country.

Israeli airstrikes over southern Lebanon have intensified in recent weeks.

Israel and the United States have been piling the pressure on Lebanon to disarm the powerful militant group. The Lebanese military issued a plan approved by the government that would disarm Hezbollah.

Israel claims Hezbollah is trying to rebuild its military capabilities in southern Lebanon, which is denied by the Lebanese government. Lebanon and United Nations peacekeepers have been critical of ongoing Israel attacks in the country and accuses them of violating the ceasefire agreement.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun has said the country is ready to enter negotiations with Israel to stop its airstrikes and to withdraw from five hill-top points it occupies on Lebanese territory. It is unclear if Israel will agree to the offer.

Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam say they are committed to disarming all non-state actors in the country, including Hezbollah.

On Tuesday, an Israeli strike killed 13 people in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh near the southern city of Sidon in the deadliest attack since a ceasefire went into effect. The military said it targeted a military facility belonging to the Palestinian Hamas militant group. Hamas denied that it has any militar facilities in the crowded camp.

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Chehayeb reported from Beirut.