BEIRUT, Lebanon: Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs killed three people on Sunday, Lebanon’s civil defence agency said, as Israel said it was responding to Hezbollah fire into northern Israel.
Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported that a strike hit an apartment in the Ghobeiry neighbourhood of Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Lebanon’s civil defence agency said three people were killed and six others wounded in the strike.
The Israeli military said it was responding after three suspected Hezbollah drones struck northern Israel in separate incidents earlier on Sunday, causing no casualties.
Hezbollah, however, said it carried out attacks on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon and denied targeting northern Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the strikes targeted “targets belonging to the Hezbollah organisation” in response to rocket fire into Israeli territory.
Lebanon’s NNA also reported Israeli strikes on more than 20 locations in southern Lebanon, including the city of Nabatieh.
The strikes came before and after the Israeli army issued evacuation warnings for nearly 30 locations in the south ahead of raids.
Lebanon says Israeli airstrikes and ground operations since March 2 have killed more than 3,700 people.
Reacting to the Israeli strikes on Beirut, US President Donald Trump said the Israeli attack on Beirut should not have happened.
“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 wrote on social media.
He said that a deal was close and would “bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon”.
“There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel,” the US President said.
