IDF raises alert for Iranian attack after strike in Beirut

The military said there were currently no changes to civilian guidelines.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The Israeli military said Sunday it is preparing for the possibility of missile attacks from Iran, issuing a warning that fire toward Israel could occur in the coming hours following Israeli operations in Beirut.

The alert came after the IDF carried out a strike in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district, targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. Israeli officials said the military remains prepared for both defensive and offensive contingencies.

“In accordance with ongoing assessments, the IDF is preparing for the possibility of fire toward the territory of the State of Israel in the coming hours,” the military said.

It added that forces remain in a heightened state of readiness while urging the public to follow Home Front Command instructions.

The military said there were currently no changes to civilian guidelines.

The operation in Beirut drew a response from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said the strike was carried out after Hezbollah fire toward Israel.

“Israel will not tolerate fire into its territory,” the two leaders said in a joint statement.

The military warning was issued as international efforts continued to advance a proposed memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the conflict with Iran.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that an agreement was “scheduled to get signed” on Sunday. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed confidence in the talks, writing on X: “We are closer to a peace deal than ever before. With finalization likely expected in the next 24 hours.”

Iranian-linked media challenged those expectations. A channel affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards said the agreement would not be signed Sunday and criticized what it described as Trump’s “unusual insistence” on that timetable.

Qatari mediators arrived in Tehran before the Beirut strike as part of efforts to preserve the negotiations.

Following the Israeli operation, Trump publicly criticized the timing of the attack and called for the diplomatic process to continue.

“This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it was responding to was very small and meaningless, nobody was hurt, injured, or killed, and should not disrupt this important process,” Trump added.

The latest tensions follow an earlier escalation between Israel and Iran that occurred after a previous Israeli strike on Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district one week ago.