Jerusalem: The Israeli military struck a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs early Tuesday, killing at least three people, in an attack it said targeted a member of the Hezbollah militant group.
The airstrike came without warning days after Israel launched an attack on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, Friday for the first time since a ceasefire ended fighting between Israeli forces and the Hezbollah militant group in November.
At least seven other people were wounded in Tuesday’s airstrike, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
The Israeli military said in a statement that the latest strike targeted a Hezbollah member who had been helping the Palestinian Hamas group in the Gaza Strip in attacks against Israel.
Netanyahu withdraws his nomination to lead internal security agency
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has withdrawn his nomination of a former navy commander to lead the country’s internal security agency after a flurry of criticism.
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement early Tuesday after meeting with Vice Adm. Eli Sharvit that he “intends to examine other candidates”, without elaborating.
The nomination announced Monday had provoked widespread criticism from allies and opponents.
Critics of Netanyahu are already up in arms over his move to fire Ronen Bar, the current head of the Shin Bet domestic security agency, viewing it as part of a broader assault on state institutions at a time when Netanyahu is on trial for alleged corruption and his aides are being investigated over links to the Gulf Arab nation of Qatar.
Israel’s Supreme Court froze Bar’s dismissal pending further hearings but cleared the way for Netanyahu to interview candidates for the job.
The nomination of Sharvit angered some of Netanyahu’s allies after Israeli media reported that he had taken part in protests against Netanyahu’s plans to overhaul the judiciary in 2023.
The move also brought an unexpected rebuke from Sen. Lindsey Graham, a top ally of President Donald Trump, who tweeted an excerpt of an op-ed Sharvit had written for an Israeli technology news website in January 2024, criticising Trump’s climate policies. Graham called the nomination “beyond problematic”.
Israeli military says it intercepted a projectile fired from Gaza
The Israeli military says it intercepted a projectile fired from the Gaza Strip early Tuesday that set off sirens in nearby communities.
Palestinian militants have fired a small number of rockets, without causing any casualties or damage, since Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas last month.
Israel has launched waves of airstrikes and limited ground operations, killing hundreds of Palestinians.
Hamas ignited the war with its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251, most of whom have since been released in ceasefires or other deals. Hamas is still holding 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.
Israel’s offensive has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants or civilians.
AP
