An Israeli missile strike struck a residential building in Beirut’s southern suburbs at the start of Tuesday, killing four people, among them a senior Hezbollah official Hassan Bdair, with the potential for the conflict to escalate despite a fragile truce. The strike, during Eid al-Fitr holidays, has been met with fierce denunciation from Lebanese ruling elite and caused discontent with rising tensions, particularly alongside fluctuating oil prices.
Eyewitnesses said there was a huge detonation that destroyed top floors of the building. “We couldn’t see for the dust —he catastrophe,” said Ismael Noureddine, a neighbor. Hezbollah identified Bdair—its Palestinian affairs deputy—together with his son as the bodies among the dead; it promised a “strong response” at his funeral today.
Israel said Bdair was planning an “imminent” attack on Israeli civilians, and claimed it was acting in self-defense by striking. But Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam described it as a “blatant defiance of a November 2023 ceasefire,” and President Joseph Aoun demanded that international partners protect Lebanon’s sovereignty. 
This is second Israeli strike on Hezbollah’s Beirut stronghold in two days, after a March 28 retaliation for rocket fire. Analysts fear Hezbollah’s patience may be wearing thin. “Their credibility is on the line, “amal Saad, a hezbollah specialist.
As UN officers urge restraint and Israeli troops remain entrenched in strategic Lebanese territory, the area is precarious. As a resident Jamal Badreddine sighed, “No one is safe anymore”.
