The site of the Israeli strike in Hadath, a southern suburb of Beirut, on March 28, 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — The Israeli army struck a building in the Hadath neighborhood of Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday afternoon amid its escalation of aggression on southern Lebanon following the firing of two rockets at northern Israel this morning, one of which fell short, landing in Lebanese territory.
The Hadath strike is the first on Beirut's southern suburbs since the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on Nov. 27, but follows consistent attacks on Lebanon by Israel, which signed a side deal with the U.S. where the latter, a mediator of the cease-fire, gives Israel the green light to strike any perceived "threats."
At least one person was injured in the Hadath strike and has been transferred to hospital. The Israeli army issued an evacuation warning prior to the attack, hit the building with two warning shots before bombing it. The targeted building is less than 100 meters away from two schools, which were evacuated along with all educational facilities in the suburbs.
Scenes of panic are seen in footage filmed following the Israeli army's warning, published on X by its Arabic-language spokesperson around an hour before the strike, especially the commotion in the vicinity of the building that was marked for attack as hundreds of pupils fled the Lycée des Arts and the Saint Georges Middle School.
Long traffic jams clogged the various roads that run through the suburbs, as local residents rushed to get as far away from the area as they could.
These evacuation warnings were issued almost daily during Israel's all-out war against Hezbollah between September and November 2024 and were condemned by human rights lawyers as ineffective, designed to "instill terror," and in violation of international law.
