BEIRUT: THE Israeli military struck a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs early Tuesday, killing at least three people, in an attack it said said it targeted a member of the Hezbollah militant group.
The airstrike came without warning days after Israel launched an attack on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Friday for the first time since a ceasefire ended fighting between Israeli forces and the Hezbollah militant group in November. The Israeli military had warned residents in the crowded suburbs before the attack after two projectiles were launched from southern Lebanon, which Hezbollah denied firing.
At least seven other people were wounded in the airstrike, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
The Israeli military said in a statement the latest strike targeted a Hezbollah member who had been helping the Palestinian Hamas group in the Gaza Strip in attacks against Israel. It said the airstrike was “under the direction of the Shin Bet,” Israel’s domestic intelligence agency.
Photos and videos widely shared on local and social media showed the top three floors of an apartment building damaged following the strike. Piles of debris covered cars below the building.
