People gather looking at a residential building following an Israeli military strike in the Haret Hreik neighbourhood of Beirut's southern suburbs on Nov. 23, 2025. FADEL itani /AFP via Getty Images

Israel's military said it targeted Hezbollah's chief of staff in the first airstrike in Beirut since June.

The military did not offer further details. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address at a government meeting on Sunday that Israel "will continue to do everything necessary to prevent Hezbollah from re-establishing its threatening capability against us."

"This is also how we operate in Gaza-Hamas constantly violates the ceasefire, and we act accordingly, independently of anyone," he said, adding at the end: "Israel is responsible for its security."

Hezbollah said the strike, launched almost exactly a year after a ceasefire ended that Israel-Hezbollah war, threatened an escalation of attacks.

Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah's political council, told journalists that a high-ranking militant may have been killed but did not give details.

"Hezbollah's leadership is studying the matter of response and will take the appropriate decision," Qamati said at the site of the attack. "The strike on the southern suburbs today opens the door to an escalation of assaults all over Lebanon."

Israel did not issue an evacuation warning before the strike.

Smoke could be seen in the busy Haret Hreik neighborhood, with one video that circulated on social media showing dozens of people crowded around the area of the strike, which appeared to be on an apartment building.

There was no immediate word on casualties.

The strike in the south of the capital comes days before Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit the country and as Israeli airstrikes over southern Lebanon have intensified in recent weeks.

Israel and the United States have been piling pressure on Lebanon to disarm the powerful militant group. The Lebanese military issued a plan approved by the government that would disarm Hezbollah.

Israel says Hezbollah is trying to rebuild its military capabilities in southern Lebanon, whereas the Lebanese government has denied those claims.

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