IDF strikes Beirut; Iran demands deal must end fighting in Lebanon

Israel responds to Hezbollah drone attacks with strike on Dahiyeh near Beirut as US-Iran talks continue.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel struck a Hezbollah target in Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh district on Sunday after three drones launched from Lebanon exploded in northern Israel, a move that drew an Iranian warning as Washington and Tehran worked toward a possible memorandum of understanding.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said they ordered the strike in response to Hezbollah fire toward Israel.

“The IDF has just struck terror targets belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut in response to Hezbollah fire toward Israeli territory,” they said in a joint statement. “Israel will not tolerate fire directed at its territory.”

The IDF said the strike targeted a Hezbollah command center in Dahiyeh that was used to advance attacks against Israeli civilians and Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon.

“The command center was used by Hezbollah terrorists to advance terrorist attacks against the citizens of the State of Israel and IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon,” the military said, adding that it had taken steps to reduce harm to civilians, including aerial surveillance and the use of precision munitions.

Lebanese media reported that the strike hit the Al-Ruwais area of Dahiyeh. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that at least one person was killed and four others were wounded.

Earlier Sunday, the IDF said three drones launched from Lebanon crossed into Israel. Two exploded near Shlomi in the western Galilee, and a third later exploded in a military area near the border. The military said there were no injuries and that the drones did not hit civilian communities.

The strike came as US and Iranian officials were engaged in talks over a possible agreement aimed at ending the broader conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has sought to link any agreement with Washington to restrictions on Israeli activity, particularly in Lebanon.

Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the Foreign Affairs and National Security Committee in Iran’s parliament, warned that any agreement or understanding with Iran must be accompanied by efforts to restrain Israel.

“Even if you want to reach a deal or some kind of understanding, the path to it goes through restraining the Zionist regime,” Rezaei said. “If we do not control this mad dog, it will bite us in the leg before the ink on any agreement or understanding has even dried.”

The comments reflected Iran’s demand that the Lebanese front should be part of any broader arrangement. Iranian officials have previously said Hezbollah remains a key ally and that Lebanon must be included in discussions over a ceasefire or regional de-escalation.

The latest Dahiyeh strike followed a similar Israeli attack in Beirut last week, after which Iran launched about 23 missiles toward Israel. Israel then carried out two waves of airstrikes in Iran.

Israeli ministers called Sunday for a forceful response to the drone launches. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the attack on northern Israel was a test of what he called the “Dahiyeh equation” announced by Netanyahu.

“I call on him to implement it with determination and force and bring down more buildings in Dahiyeh today,” Smotrich said. “We promised security to the residents of the north, and we must deliver.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also called for a harsher response.

“For every drone, a missile. For every violation, fire. For every UAV, Dahiyeh should shake,” Ben-Gvir said. “Against terror, we do not contain, we crush.”