Middle East latest: Israel strikes Beirut for first time since ceasefire with Hezbollah

Israel launched an attack on the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday for the first time since a ceasefire ended fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in November.

Associated Press reporters in Beirut heard a large boom and witnessed smoke rising from the area that Israel’s military had vowed to strike.

Earlier Friday, Israel’s army urgently warned people to evacuate parts of a Beirut suburb, vowing to retaliate against strikes which it said were launched from Lebanon into northern Israel.

Israel’s defense minister said Friday that if there was no peace in Israel’s northern communities there would be no peace in Beirut either.

Hezbollah denied firing the rockets at northern Israel, and accused Israel of seeking a pretext to continue attacking Lebanon.

It was the first strike on Beirut since a ceasefire took hold on Nov. 27, 2024, between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group, although Israel has struck targets in southern Lebanon almost daily since then.

Here’s the latest:

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Israel says it struck a Hezbollah site in Beirut suburbs

The Israeli military confirmed striking a Hezbollah drone storage site in Dahiyeh, the southern suburbs of Beirut.

The military said it carried out the strike after rockets were fired at Israel from Lebanon earlier in the morning in “blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.” It pledged to continue operations “in order to remove any threat to the civilians of the State of Israel.”

Chaos engulfed the southern suburbs of Beirut as Lebanese tried to flee the area, and a large smoke cloud rose over the city following the strike.

Muslims gather in Jerusalem for Ramadan prayers

Tens of thousands of Muslims gathered at the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem for Ramadan prayers, marking the last Friday observance of a holiday which has passed tensely but without the violence of years past in the contested capital.

The Islamic Trust, which oversees the site, said that 75,000 worshippers gathered, kneeling before the golden Dome of the Rock on the sprawling mosque compound.

Israeli police said they deployed thousands of officers across the city to maintain order and pledged to continue operations.

The Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha is set to begin within the coming days.