About four days after announcing the ceasefire agreements with Lebanon, Lebanese media outlets reported a short time ago today (Sunday) about a series of explosions heard in the Dahiyya district in southern Beirut, which is considered a major stronghold of the terrorist organization Hezbollah. Shortly after the reports, the IDF confirmed that it had carried out an attack in the area.
The IDF spokesman later issued an official statement stating that the IDF had attacked Hezbollah terrorist organization infrastructure in Dahieh. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that the attack was carried out under their direction, and that it was a response to Hezbollah activity and firing into Israeli territory. The Lebanese News Agency reported at least 2 dead and 11 wounded in the Israeli attack on Dahieh.
At the same time, the Saudi Al-Hadath channel reported that Israel had informed the United States and the Trump administration in advance of its intention to carry out the attack on the Lebanese capital. Shortly after the attack, Trump said in an interview with NBC that he did not demand that Lebanon be part of the agreement with Iran.
Alongside the official announcements, sources in the security establishment told Channel 14 that the importance of the attack was mainly in the fact that it was carried out in the heart of the Dahieh. “We attacked because of the location and not because of the target. This is a headquarters where even if there were terrorists there, they are junior,” the sources said. According to them, the message that Israel sought to convey to Hezbollah and Lebanon was more significant than the operational damage caused to the target itself.
The current attack is being carried out just four days after the United States, Israel, and Lebanon issued a joint statement on ceasefire agreements. According to the announcement, Hezbollah is to completely cease fire against Israel and evacuate its operatives from south of the Litani, while the Lebanese army will assume exclusive security responsibility in areas to be defined in advance, as part of a process designed to promote security stability and a long-term settlement.
According to the details of the understandings published at the time, the parties agreed to quickly advance the establishment of pilot areas in which the Lebanese army would operate alone, without the presence of armed organizations that are not part of the state institutions. The move was presented as a first step towards a broader security agreement between the parties.
Today’s events also come against the backdrop of another development that occurred last week. About six days ago, Netanyahu and Katz announced that they had instructed the IDF to attack terror targets in Dahieh following repeated violations of the security understandings and firing at Israel. However, that evening, after tense phone calls between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump, the planned attack was canceled and the move was stopped at the last minute.