At least four people have been killed in an Israeli air attack on a building in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, targeting Hezbollah members.
The surprise attack came at 3:30am (00:30 GMT) on Tuesday, the Eid al-Fitr Muslim holiday, marking the end of the Ramadan fasting month. The second strike in the city in three days sparked fear that a volatile ceasefire between Israel and the armed Hezbollah group that took effect four months ago could collapse.
Lebanon’s health ministry said the four people killed included a woman and seven others were injured.
In a statement, the Israeli military said it targeted Hassan Buder, a member of the Hezbollah force and a member of Iran’s Quds force.
The Israeli military provided no evidence of the statement. There were no immediate comments from Hezbollah.
The strike followed days after its previous hit in the southern suburbs of Dahiye, a Hezbollah home.
Lebanon President Joseph Own condemned the latest attack, calling it a “dangerous warning” of Israel’s intentions against his country.
“Israel’s tenacity in aggression requires more effort from us to speak to our Lebanese friends around the world and to rally them together to support our right to full sovereignty over our land,” Aoun said in a statement.
Lebanon Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also condemned Israel’s strike, saying it was a serious violation of UN Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire arrangement. Salam said he is working with the Minister of Defense and Home Affairs to closely monitor the aftermath of the strike.
Al Jazeera’s resultsul serdar, reporting from Beirut, added that the latest attacks are “very worried” for the Lebanese government as rescue operations are ongoing and come just three days after Israeli forces first bombed Beirut in November.
The agreement, guaranteed by France and the United States, halted the conflict for a year and required Israeli ground forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
It was also required that Hezbollah fighters retreat from the south and Lebanese forces deployed there.
However, both sides are condemning each other’s violations.
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