Israeli attack on southern Beirut killed at least two people - report

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that the Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs earlier today resulted in at least two deaths and eleven injuries based on initial counts. Independent verification of these numbers remains unavailable at this stage.

Key events

9m agoIsraeli strike on southern Beirut killed at least two people - report
19m agoIDF directs residents of Lebanon's fifth largest city to leave ahead of strikes
40m agoUS reports destruction of two drones over strait of Hormuz
1h agoTrump indicates he would not release Iran's assets prior to completing a peace agreement
1h agoIsrael hits southern suburbs of Beirut even after ceasefire deal with Lebanon

Gaza's health ministry reported in its most recent update that at least ten individuals died and thirty-six others sustained injuries from Israeli operations across the area in the last day.

The ministry notes that 961 people have died in Israeli operations since the supposed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in October 2025.

It adds that 72,971 people, including many women and children, have died in Israeli operations across Gaza since October 2023, when Israel began its campaign in the territory after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostage.

Israeli attack on southern Beirut killed at least two people - report

The Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs earlier today has killed at least two people and injured eleven others, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency citing preliminary figures. Independent confirmation of these numbers is still pending.

IDF orders residents of Lebanon's fifth largest city to evacuate ahead of attacks

The Israeli military has directed residents of the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, nearby camps (al-Bass and Zakuk al-Mufdi) and surrounding neighbourhoods shown on the map below to leave immediately ahead of planned strikes on those sites.

The IDF's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, posted the warning on social media, stating the strikes target Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire agreement.

International law experts note that Israel's warnings can be inconsistent, overly broad and open-ended, with some strikes occurring without prior notice. More than one million people have already been displaced by the renewed Israeli campaign in Lebanon, creating a significant refugee and humanitarian crisis.

US says it destroyed two drones over strait of Hormuz

In an earlier post on X, the US Central Command (Centcom) stated it destroyed two Iranian drones that threatened international maritime traffic in the strait of Hormuz, hours after reporting strikes on four other drones and coastal surveillance radar sites.

American forces remain positioned and ready to continue defending against Iranian aggression, Centcom said in a brief statement. This marks the latest exchange in a series of attacks that have tested the tenuous April ceasefire between Tehran and Washington amid stalled negotiations where neither side appears willing to offer major concessions.

Tehran effectively closed the strait of Hormuz, at least to countries it viewed as hostile to its interests, soon after the US and Israel launched their campaign against Iran at the end of February. The US imposed a counter-blockade of ships using Iranian ports on 13 April.

Global energy prices have risen sharply due to the effective closure of this strategic waterway, a key route for oil and natural gas shipments.

Trump says he would not unfreeze Iran's assets before peace deal is done

Donald Trump gave an interview to NBC News's Meet the Press, which host Kristen Welker said occurred on Friday.

In the interview, Trump stated he would not unfreeze Iranian assets or lift sanctions before reaching a peace deal. Comes after, he said. Yeah. If they behave, if they do a good job, we start talking. Yeah.

Trump also indicated he was not requiring Lebanon to be included in a short-term agreement with Tehran.

The US president reportedly added that he wants to maintain US troops in the Middle East until completion and that the US will seize and destroy Iran's highly enriched uranium, much of which is believed to be stored deep underground.

He said the US and Iran are close to reaching an agreement, a point he often repeats despite major unresolved issues between the sides, including Israel's ongoing campaign in Lebanon, Tehran's nuclear programme and the status of the strategic strait of Hormuz.

We are very close to a deal, or I am going to blow the hell out of them, Trump told NBC News.

Israel had already struck the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital at least twice since the initial agreement between Lebanon and Israel took effect as part of the 17 April ceasefire, under which Washington aimed to limit Israel from striking Beirut in exchange for a halt in Hezbollah fire toward northern Israel.

Today's strikes on Beirut are likely to disrupt US peace talks with Iran, as Tehran has indicated that Israel's campaign in Lebanon must end for that conflict to conclude.

Despite engaging in diplomacy with Lebanon, Israel continues striking southern Lebanon and issuing mass evacuation orders on a near daily basis.

Hezbollah, which has not participated in direct negotiations with Israel, has launched rockets and drones into northern Israel and against Israeli troops in southern Lebanon as it rejects calls for its disarmament and Israeli occupation of parts of southern Lebanon.

The US president, Donald Trump, angrily confronted Netanyahu over Israel's threats to resume airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs during a heated phone call last Monday, according to a report in Axios. It appears Trump has limited ability to influence Netanyahu's military decisions despite the US's far superior military power.

At least 3,526 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since the start of the war on 2 March, according to the country's health ministry. Israel's renewed campaign in Lebanon was triggered in response to Hezbollah firing rockets at northern Israel after the US and Israel killed the former Iranian supreme leader in Tehran on 28 February.

Israel strikes southern suburbs of Beirut despite ceasefire agreement with Lebanon

Reports indicate Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, Dahiyeh, with at least three explosions heard so far. The Israeli military claimed about an hour ago in a post on X that it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in the Lebanese capital, without providing evidence.

In a joint statement, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said the Israeli military had struck terrorist headquarters in Beirut's southern suburbs in apparent retaliation for Hezbollah firing toward northern Israel earlier. This appears to defy a US request not to attack Lebanon's capital.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said the Israeli strikes on the southern suburbs, where there is strong support for Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group and political party, targeted two apartments in two buildings. There has been no official confirmation of any casualties or injuries.