Israeli jets attacked Beirut's southern suburbs on Sunday after warning about an hour before the strike, the third Israeli airstrike in the region since a ceasefire went into effect in late November.
A huge plume of smoke rose into the air after the strike, which hit what appeared to be a metal tent between two buildings containing three bombs, according to an Associated Press photographer at the scene and video circulating on social media.
The photographer also spotted two burned and destroyed trucks in the hangar. There are no reports of casualties at this time.
In its warning, the Israeli military said it was targeting Hezbollah targets in the Hadath area and called on local residents to move at least 300 meters away from the strike site. Two warning strikes followed.
The sounds of fighter jets were heard in parts of the Lebanese capital before the attack on the Al-Jamous district. Warning shots were fired into the air to urge residents to evacuate as families fled their homes in panic.
In a statement after the strike, the Israeli military said the target was a warehouse of precision missiles belonging to Hezbollah. It added that storing such equipment violates the agreement reached to end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
During the previous war between Israel and Hezbollah, Israeli drones and fighter jets regularly struck the southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has significant influence and support.
Israel views the area, where several senior Hezbollah leaders including Hassan Nasrallah have been killed, as a militant stronghold and accuses the group of storing weapons there.
President Joseph Aoun condemned the Israeli strike, calling on the United States and France, as guarantors of the ceasefire, to “take responsibility” and pressure Israel to stop the attacks.
He warned that Israel's continued actions “undermine stability” and pose serious security threats to the region.
UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis wrote on Platform X that the latest Israeli strike “has caused panic and fear of renewed violence among those desperate to return to normal life.”
She urged all parties to stop any actions that could further undermine the ceasefire agreement and the implementation of the UN resolution that ended the war.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
