Beirut, Lebanon – April 27, 2025 – An Israeli airstrike struck southern Beirut on Sunday evening, shortly after the Israeli military issued a warning urging residents of the Lebanese capital to evacuate specific neighborhoods. The strike targeted a Hezbollah facility reportedly storing precision missiles, according to Israeli officials.
Video footage captured by Reuters showed a large column of smoke rising from the site around 6:00 p.m. local time (11 a.m. ET). Israeli Defense Minister Benjamin and Defense Minister Israel Katz jointly announced the operation, emphasizing that the strike was aimed at Hezbollah’s missile storage infrastructure in Beirut.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had earlier warned civilians in the Hadath neighborhood to evacuate, advising them to keep a distance of at least 300 meters from Hezbollah-controlled facilities. IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee stated that Hezbollah militants were using locations in the area, prompting the precautionary evacuation notice.
The Lebanese Civil Defense reported that fires caused by the airstrike were quickly extinguished and confirmed there were no reported injuries at the site. Hezbollah has yet to issue an official statement regarding the attack.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the Israeli airstrike, calling on international partners, specifically the United States and France, to pressure Israel to “immediately cease its acts of aggression.”
Since a ceasefire was brokered between Israel and Hezbollah in November 2024, the IDF has carried out several strikes targeting Hezbollah militants and infrastructure, mostly in southern Lebanon. However, airstrikes within Beirut itself remain rare. The last major strike in the capital occurred earlier this month on April 1, targeting the Dahieh district, a Hezbollah stronghold.
The recent escalation follows over a year of cross-border hostilities that erupted after the Gaza conflict, during which Israel launched extensive ground and aerial operations, including a significant offensive in September 2024 that resulted in the death of a key Hezbollah leader.
This situation remains fluid, and updates will follow as more information becomes available.