Israel bombed the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday, a few days after the ceasefire agreement in Washington entered into force.
A statement issued by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the strikes came in response to the armed group Hezbollah’s firing towards northern Israel earlier, and that the attacks targeted “command centers” in the sprawling urban neighborhoods. Hezbollah did not immediately claim responsibility for shooting at Israel.
The strikes come after the Lebanese and Israeli governments in Washington renewed a ceasefire agreement in ongoing talks that Beirut hopes will put an end to the war across the country. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Israel has already struck the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital twice since the first agreement between Lebanon and Israel entered into force on April 17. Meanwhile, strikes on southern Lebanon continue daily, and Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces clash.
Israel announced on Monday that it would strike the southern suburbs after Hezbollah claimed responsibility for attacks in northern Israel, but last-minute talks through Washington halted the attacks, on the condition that Hezbollah stop targeting Israeli border towns.
Iran had warned that the attack on the Lebanese capital would lead to the renewal of a large-scale war throughout the Middle East, amid ongoing efforts by Pakistan to resume talks between Tehran and Washington.
The fire continues between Israel and Hezbollah
Iran-backed Hezbollah rejected the US-brokered agreement and instead supported Iran’s demand that ending the war in Lebanon be part of negotiations with the United States.
The fighting in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have seized large swaths of the south in their latest ground invasion, threatens efforts to end the war with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit point for oil and gas. Its closure has shaken the global economy.
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Iran demanded that any permanent truce extend to Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing elections later this year, wants to press ahead with the Israeli offensive until he deems Hezbollah no longer a threat.
The Lebanese Army Commander, General Rudolf Haykal, headed to Pakistan on Saturday at the invitation of the Pakistani Army Commander. The Lebanese army did not provide further details and did not mention whether the matter was related to Pakistani mediation between Iran and the United States
A senior Pakistani official in Iran
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s interior minister was in Tehran on Sunday in a new attempt to restart negotiations between Iran and the United States, as the US military said it shot down two more Iranian drones over the Strait of Hormuz, threatening international maritime traffic.
The latest action came as the US administration pressures Iran to reach an agreement to end the war in the Middle East, which has strained the global economy and threatened a hunger crisis in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries.
The heaviest fighting ended with an initial ceasefire on April 8, but the two sides were unable to agree on a long-term end to the war.
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran to deliver a message to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei from Pakistani Army Commander Field Marshal Asim Munir, IRNA reported.
Khamenei has not appeared in public since his appointment as ruler of the Islamic Republic after his father was killed on the first day of the war on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran.
Naqvi met with Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni late Saturday, and held talks Sunday morning with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, according to official Iranian media.
No details were provided about the content of the message. Pakistani authorities said that Islamabad, with the support of countries in the region including Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, is working to help bridge differences between the United States and Iran and encourage efforts to reduce tensions and ensure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran says it targeted a US air and naval base
The US military announced on Saturday that it shot down several Iranian missiles and drones launched towards the Strait of Hormuz and its Gulf allies, and struck some of the Islamic Republic’s coastal surveillance radar sites in response.
The US Central Command said, “The attack drones posed a direct threat to regional maritime traffic.”
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard said it targeted Ali Al Salem Air Base, which hosts US forces in Kuwait, and the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.
The US military said there were no reports of damage to American personnel.
Earlier this month, Iranian drones severely damaged a passenger terminal at Kuwait’s main airport, killing one person and wounding dozens.
The US military continued its blockade of Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s grip on the Strait, a vital corridor for global oil and natural gas shipments.
Energy prices have risen, posing political problems for US President Donald Trump’s Republican Party before the midterm congressional elections in November.
—Magdy reported from Cairo and Leidman from Tel Aviv, Israel.
& Edition 2026 The Canadian Press
