Israel strikes Beirut: 3 killed in Hezbollah stronghold as Iran warns of retaliation

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

Israeli aircraft struck a residential building in central Beirut on Sunday, killing 3 people and wounding 15 others, Lebanese officials said.

The attack targeted the Bourj al-Barajneh district, a Hezbollah-controlled area where senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard officer Reza Karimi worked, security sources told Reuters.

Karimi died in a separate Israeli strike last week near Beirut’s airport. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tehran would “punish” Israel for the killing, state TV reported.

Israel described Karimi as in charge of Iranian weapons transfers to Hezbollah. The group confirmed his death but provided no details.

The Israeli military said Sunday’s strike “targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in Dahiyeh”, Beirut’s southern suburbs. The area lies 4 kilometers from Bourj al-Barajneh.

Lebanese Health Ministry official Ayman Chehayeb said the attack killed 3 civilians and wounded 15, including women and children. The ministry released the names of the deceased on state media.

Hezbollah responded by firing 25 Katyusha rockets at northern Israel, the group said. One rocket struck a factory near Nahariya, causing minor damage, Israeli police reported.

The exchange marked the first Israeli strike on Beirut’s central areas since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Previous attacks during the current conflict targeted border areas and Beirut’s outskirts.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke with Israeli counterpart Israel Katz on Sunday, officials said. The Pentagon provided no details of their discussion.

Canada urged its citizens to leave Lebanon “while commercial flights remain available”, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said. Australia issued similar advice.

The British Foreign Office told reporters it was “urgently reviewing” its travel guidance for Lebanon. Several European airlines suspended Beirut flights this weekend.

Oil prices jumped 3% on Monday morning trading, reaching $77 per barrel. Analysts cited spillover fears from the Israel-Iran tensions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met security chiefs late Sunday, his office said. The agenda included “developments in the north”, a statement reported.

Israeli officials presented U.S. envoy Brett McGurk with evidence linking Karimi to recent Hezbollah attacks, Axios reported, citing anonymous sources.

The Israeli military released satellite photos showing what it said was Karimi entering and leaving a Hezbollah facility. The images showed dated vehicles but no weapons.

Israel has killed 490 Hezbollah members in Lebanon since September, mostly in waves of pager explosions and targeted strikes, according to military figures the group hasn’t disputed.

Hezbollah says it has lost 327 fighters, though it acknowledges the actual number is likely higher. The group lists members by codename rather than rank.

Tensions began when Hezbollah opened a support front for Gaza on October 8, 2023, firing at Israeli border posts. The group says it will stop only when the Gaza war ends.

Israel and Hezbollah fought a 34-day war in 2006 that killed 1,200 people in Lebanon and 158 Israelis, mostly soldiers, according to United Nations figures.

That war ended with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which called for Hezbollah to withdraw from southern Lebanon. The group’s military presence there has grown since.

Background

Reza Karimi, 44, served in the Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force foreign operations unit, according to U.S. sanctions documents. Washington designated him in 2022 for allegedly smuggling Iranian weapons to regional allies.

Iran has maintained close ties with Hezbollah since the group formed during Lebanon’s civil war in 1982. Tehran provides funding, training, and sophisticated weapons including precision-guided missiles, Western intelligence agencies say.

What’s Next

Iranian officials told Reuters they planned “multiple” retaliatory strikes against Israel, though timing remained unclear. Regional sources said Hezbollah was likely to increase rocket fire gradually rather than launch a major assault immediately.

The escalation threatened to derail ongoing ceasefire talks for Gaza, where Israel and Hamas continue fighting. U.S. officials said they expected negotiations to pause while Middle East tensions remained high.