3 killed, 7 injured in Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburb

BEIRUT -- An Israeli airstrike at dawn on Tuesday killed 3 people and injured 7 others in Sfeir area in Beirut's southern suburbs, al-Mayadeen local TV channel reported.

The local channel previously reported the airstrike targeting a building killed a member of Hezbollah.

The strike destroyed the building and damaged nearby structures, said the report. The Lebanese army has arrived at the scene and set up a security cordon in the vicinity of the blast.

Civil defense teams and ambulances have rushed to the spot, rescuing people from under the rubble and transporting the injured to hospitals.

Al-Mayadeen TV noted the airstrike had targeted a densely populated area.

The Israeli airstrike marks a second one on Beirut's southern suburbs.

On Friday, the Israeli military launched two missiles at a building in Hadath area, causing its complete destruction. Shortly after the attack, the Israel Defense Forces said it had targeted "a drone storage facility" belonging to Hezbollah near the Lebanese capital.

The strong airstrike was preceded by three warning strikes targeting the same building in Hadath, a densely populated area, after warnings were released by Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee.

The attacks occurred regardless of a ceasefire agreement reached between Hezbollah and Israel in November 2024, which brought an end to more than a year of hostilities triggered by the war in Gaza.

Despite the agreement, the Israeli military has occasionally launched strikes in Lebanon, claiming they targeted Hezbollah "threats."

Israel has also maintained a military presence at five "strategic" locations along the Lebanese border, failing to complete a full withdrawal from Lebanon's south as agreed under the truce brokered by the United States and France, with a deadline extended from Jan. 26 to Feb. 18.