Israel hits Beirut's Dahieh for first time since mid-April ceasefire; Netanyahu says Radwan commander targeted

Israel carried out an air strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday, the first to hit the Lebanese capital since Israel agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah in mid-April. The blast in Dahieh, a stronghold of the armed group, set buildings ablaze and heavily damaged at least one structure.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he personally approved the strike, which he said targeted a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force. “No terrorist is immune – Israel’s long arm will reach every enemy and murderer,” he said in a statement. Local media reported that members of the Radwan unit were meeting when the attack occurred at around 20:00 local time (18:00 BST).

There was no immediate reaction from Hezbollah. The strike is the first on Dahieh since 16 April, when US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire deal between the governments of Israel and Lebanon. Despite the agreement, both Israel and Hezbollah have continued to trade fire, accusing each other of violations.

Most Israeli air strikes in recent weeks have focused on southern Lebanon, with the military saying it is hitting infrastructure and individuals linked to Hezbollah, the Iran‑backed militia and political party. Lebanon’s health ministry said more than 120 people have been killed across the country in the past week alone, including women and children; the ministry does not distinguish combatants from civilians.

The Israeli military also occupies a strip of Lebanese land along the border, and officials say the aim is to create a Hezbollah‑free security zone to protect Israel’s northern communities. In those areas, entire villages have been destroyed, in actions similar to those used by the Israeli military in Gaza.

Rights groups say some cases could amount to war crimes. Hezbollah has launched rockets and drones against Israeli forces in Lebanon and northern Israel. Last week, an Israeli defence ministry contractor was killed by a drone while operating an excavator in southern Lebanon.

The group, which was not involved in negotiating the ceasefire, had indicated it would observe the deal if it was respected by Israel. Dahieh, once a vibrant and densely populated district, has remained largely empty since the ceasefire, with residents citing fear of further strikes as the reason they have not returned.

Talks between Israel and Lebanon, supported by the United States, have continued largely at the ambassador level, with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun rejecting a meeting with Netanyahu any time soon. Since 2 March, more than 2,700 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the health ministry.

Israel has announced that 16 soldiers and one civilian have been killed in southern Lebanon, along with two civilians in northern Israel.