Islamabad: The Israeli military launched an attack against Beirut on Sunday even as US and Iran inched closer to a deal to end the war in West Asia. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israeli military struck Hezbollah targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut after the armed group fired into Israel.
"The IDF has now attacked terrorist targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the Dahiyeh neighborhood of Beirut, in response to Hezbollah's firing into Israeli territory," a joint statement by Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
Hezbollah did not comment immediately but the group remarked that it had launched missiles and drones towards Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. Lebanese security sources said the attack on Dahiyeh appeared to be a targeted strike with two missiles.
When Israel last struck the Beirut suburbs a week ago, Iran responded with strikes on Israel.
The recent developments come against the backdrop of a potential signage of a peace deal between US and Iran which US President Trump claimed that would take place on Sunday. Tehran, which is Hezbollah's main backer, has insisted that any US-Iran peace deal must also include an end to Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
Hezbollah got involved in the latest conflict between Israel and Iran after the group fired missiles into Israel on March 2, two days after the US and Israel attacked Iran, sparking the West Asia war.
(With agency inputs PTI & Reuters)
