Israel attacked areas south of Beirut on Sunday, days after a Washington ceasefire came into force.
A statement issued by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes were to push back the Hezbollah terrorist group that had previously fired on northern Israel, and that the attacks were aimed at “command centers” in urban areas. Hezbollah was not quick to claim responsibility for the Israeli shooting.
The strikes come after the Lebanese and Israeli governments in Washington renewed a ceasefire in ongoing talks that Beirut hopes will end the war across the country. There was no immediate word on the dead.
Israel has already attacked areas south of the Lebanese capital twice since the first agreement between Lebanon and Israel came into effect on April 17. Strikes in southern Lebanon continue daily, and Hezbollah and Israeli forces have also clashed.
Israel announced on Monday that it would strike in southern areas after Hezbollah said it had attacked northern Israel, but endless talks with Washington halted the offensive, on the condition that Hezbollah stop targeting Israeli border towns.
Iran had warned that an attack on the Lebanese capital would spark an all-out war in the Mideast, amid ongoing efforts by Pakistan to restart talks between Tehran and Washington.
The fire continues between Israel and Hezbollah
Iran-backed Hezbollah has rejected the US-brokered deal and instead agreed to Iran’s demand that ending the war in Lebanon be part of the talks with the US.
The war in Lebanon, in which Israel’s military has seized large swathes of land in the south in its latest global offensive, threatens efforts to end Iran’s war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil and gas transit hub. Its closure shook the world economy.
Get the latest country news
Get the best Canadian news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you never miss a trending story.
Iran has demanded that any permanent deal extend to Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing elections later this year, wants to continue the Israeli offensive until he considers that Hezbollah is no longer a threat.
The commander of the army in Lebanon, Gen. Rodolphe Haikal, headed to Pakistan on Saturday at the invitation of a military officer in Pakistan. The Lebanese army did not provide further details and did not say whether it was related to Pakistan’s mediation between Iran and the US.
Pakistan’s top official in Iran
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s interior minister was in Tehran on Sunday in a new attempt to restart talks between Iran and the US, as the US military shot down two more Iranian drones over the Strait of Hormuz that threatened international maritime traffic.
The latest move came as the US administration pressed Iran to sign a deal to end the Middle East conflict, which has crippled the global economy and threatened famine in some vulnerable countries.
The fierce fighting ended with the first truce on April 8, but the sides could not agree on a long-term end to the war.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is in Tehran to deliver a message to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei from Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.
Khamenei has not been seen in public since he was appointed head of the Islamic Republic after his father was killed on the first day of the war on February 28 when the US and Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran.
Naqvi met with Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni late Saturday, and held talks Sunday morning with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to Iran’s official media.
There were no details on the content of the message. Pakistani authorities said Islamabad, with support from countries including Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, was working to help end tensions between the United States and Iran and promote efforts aimed at reducing tensions and ensuring the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran says it has targeted US airbases and the Navy
The US military said on Saturday it shot down several Iranian missiles and drones that came from the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf Arab allies, and attacked some of the Islamic Republic’s coastal surveillance radar sites.
“Aggressive drones pose a threat to maritime traffic,” US Central Command said.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it was targeting the Ali Al Salem air base, which hosts US troops in Kuwait, and the US Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain, according to the IRNA news agency.
The US military said there were no reports of injuries to US personnel.
Earlier this month, Iranian drones heavily damaged the passenger boarding area of Kuwait’s main airport, killing one person and injuring dozens.
The US military has continued its blockade of Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s grip on the road, a key corridor for oil and natural gas exports around the world.
Energy prices have risen, causing political problems for the Republican Party of US President Donald Trump ahead of the mid-term congressional elections in November.
–Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Tel Aviv, Israel.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
