A sandstorm covers Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo)
Israel launched a fresh airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs late Sunday, targeting what it said were Hezbollah military facilities as cross-border fighting between the two sides intensified.
The Israel Defense Forces said it was “currently striking Hezbollah terror infrastructure” in Beirut shortly after midnight. The strike came hours after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for parts of the city’s southern suburbs, an area repeatedly targeted in recent weeks.
An Agence France-Presse correspondent reported hearing the blast across the Lebanese capital. Earlier in the day, an AFP photographer saw empty streets, flattened buildings and debris across the southern districts, with smoke still rising from previous strikes.
The conflict escalated after Hezbollah, backed by Iran, launched attacks on Israel following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes earlier this month. Israel responded with extensive air raids across Lebanon and troop movements near the border.
Lebanese authorities say Israeli strikes have killed at least 850 people and displaced more than 830,000 residents. Around 130,000 people are currently sheltering in collective facilities across the country.
Heavy rain on Sunday worsened conditions for displaced families, many of whom are sleeping outdoors or in tents near Beirut’s seafront.
Nader, a coffee shop owner displaced from Beirut’s southern suburbs, said he feared his home had been destroyed again after rebuilding it following earlier fighting in 2024.
“Here we have nothing and the situation is very bad with the heavy rains and wind,” he said. “It’s very cold, lots of babies are sick and we can’t protect them.”
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said its peacekeepers came under fire three times Sunday in southern Lebanon, likely from non-state armed groups.
Meanwhile, Hamas confirmed that one of its officials, Wissam Taha, was killed in an Israeli strike on a residential building in the coastal city of Sidon, according to a source who spoke anonymously.
Israel said there are currently no plans for direct negotiations with Lebanon to end the conflict, despite earlier reports that Beirut was preparing a delegation for talks.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar dismissed the possibility of negotiations on Sunday. Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen also called for cancelling the 2022 maritime border agreement between Israel and Lebanon, arguing that security guarantees under the U.S.-brokered deal had not been fulfilled.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macron, president of France, said the Lebanese government was open to direct talks with Israel and offered to host potential negotiations.
The Israeli military said it also struck several Hezbollah launch sites in southern Lebanon and destroyed command centres belonging to the group’s elite Radwan Force in Beirut.
