Israel bombs Lebanon's Beirut, Netanyahu says Hezbollah 'chief of staff' targeted: Another war begins?

Israel has attacked Beirut's southern suburbs on Sunday (Nov 23) killing one person and injuring as many as 21. Israeli military said it had targeted Hezbollah's “chief of staff” in Lebanon despite a year-long ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. According to Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA), the strike took place in Beirut's southern suburbs, a densely populated area where Hezbollah holds sway, and caused "injuries and significant damage." NNA reported three missiles were fired at the building in the Haret Hreik area, damaging vehicles and other nearby structures.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he had given the orders for the attack. "A short while ago, in the heart of Beirut, the IDF (Israeli military) attacked the Hezbollah chief of staff, who had been leading the terrorist organisation's buildup and rearmament," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

“Israel is determined to act to achieve its objectives everywhere and at all times,” it added. Israel has carried out near-daily strikes in Lebanon since the November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah. Sunday's strike, however, was the first on Beirut's southern suburbs since June 5, when Israel said it hit a Hezbollah drone factory. It follows an earlier strike on the southern town of Aita al-Shaab, which the Lebanese health ministry said killed one person, according to AFP.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu insisted said that Israel would do "everything necessary" to stop Hezbollah from regrouping in Lebanon and Hamas from doing the same in Gaza. "We are continuing to strike terrorism on several fronts. This weekend, the IDF (Israeli military) struck in Lebanon, and we will continue to do everything necessary to prevent Hezbollah from re-establishing its threat capability against us. This is also what we are doing in the Gaza Strip. Since the ceasefire, Hamas has not stopped violating it, and we are acting accordingly," Netanyahu said as he opened a cabinet meeting.