Israel carries out airstrike on Beirut ahead of expected ceasefire deal

By Henry Moore

The Israeli military has confirmed it struck 20 targets in central Beirut just hours before the country’s leadership were set to decide on whether to accept a US-brokered ceasefire deal with Hezbollah.

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Explosions were seen in at least 10 locations in the Lebanese capital less than 30 minutes after the Israeli Defence Force issued a warning.

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in the suburbs of the capital's south, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where the United Nations peacekeeping mission, known as Unifil, is based.

At least seven people were killed in the strikes with a further 37 injured, Lebanon's health ministry confirmed.

"Following the sirens that sounded between 16:44 (14:44 GMT) and 16:45 in the Haifa Bay area, five projectiles that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory were intercepted by the IAF (Israeli air force)," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

Taking to X, the IDF claimed eight fighter jets carried out strikes on what it alleges were a Hezbollah aerial defence unit centre, an intelligence centre, a command centre and a weapons storage facility.

Following the strike, G7 foreign ministers called for an "immediate ceasefire" in Lebanon.

"We support the ongoing negotiation for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah," the ministers said in a statement.

"Now is the time to conclude a diplomatic settlement."

It came just minutes before Israel's defence council entered talks over whether to accept a US-brokered ceasefire deal with Hezbollah.

The meeting is expected to last several hours.

Lebanese officials have said Hezbollah also supports the deal.

If approved by all sides, the deal would be a major step towards ending the Israel-Hezbollah war that has inflamed tensions across the region and raised fears of an even wider conflict between Israel and Hezbollah's patron, Iran.

If signed, questions remain over the practical enforcement of the deal, with both sides warning they would launch strikes if its terms are breached.

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz insisted on Tuesday that the military would strike Hezbollah if Unifil does not provide "effective enforcement" of the deal.

"If you don't act, we will act, and with great force," he said, speaking with UN special envoy Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.

"The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said Israel's security concerns had been addressed in the US-French-brokered deal.

"There is not an excuse for not implementing a ceasefire. Otherwise, Lebanon will fall apart," Mr Borrell told reporters in Fiuggi, Italy, on the sidelines of a G7 meeting.