UNIPA News(Beirut) 14 June-Israeli forces launched airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut on Sunday, killing at least three people and injuring six others, according to Lebanon’s Civil Defense. The strikes came as regional mediators were attempting to finalize a US-Iran agreement aimed at ending the ongoing conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Smoke was seen rising over the Lebanese capital after multiple explosions hit the southern suburbs of Beirut. An Associated Press photographer at the scene reported that a five-story apartment building with ground-floor shops was struck, with the two lower floors sustaining the heaviest damage. Residents were seen fleeing the area after weeks of relative calm.
Israel’s military said the operation was a response to Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel earlier in the day. According to the Israeli military, Hezbollah launched three projectiles into Israeli territory, and footage released by the military showed explosions followed by rising smoke. Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the incident.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that Israel “will not tolerate firing into its territory.” The Israeli military later warned it was preparing for possible incoming attacks in the coming hours.
The strikes risk complicating efforts to secure a diplomatic breakthrough between Washington and Tehran. Qatari mediators traveled to Tehran on Sunday to finalize the proposed agreement, according to two regional officials who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The officials expressed cautious optimism that the deal could halt hostilities that have killed thousands and disrupted global markets through the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The White House did not immediately comment on the Beirut strikes. US President Donald Trump had earlier indicated that a deal could be signed Sunday and had urged Netanyahu to avoid major military action in Lebanon while negotiations were underway. Israeli leadership, however, proceeded with the strikes.
Iran condemned the attack and warned of retaliation. “Without a doubt, these crimes will not go unanswered,” Gen. Mohammad Jafar Asadi, deputy commander of Iran’s Joint Command Headquarters, was quoted as saying by Iran’s official Mizan news agency.
The latest escalation follows an Israeli strike on Beirut’s suburbs a week earlier, which triggered the most serious flare-up between Iran and Israel since a fragile ceasefire took effect on April 7. The current round of violence underscores the precarious balance between military confrontation and diplomatic negotiations in the region.
