Israeli jets strike Beirut’s southern suburbs for the third time since a ceasefire began

BEIRUT — Israeli jets struck Beirut’s southern suburbs Sunday after issuing a warning about an hour earlier, marking the third Israeli strike on the area since a ceasefire took effect in late November.

In a statement following the strike, the Israeli military said it targeted a precision-guided missile storage facility for the Hezbollah terrorist group. It added that storing such equipment is a violation of the agreement reached to end the Israel-Hezbollah war.

A huge plume of smoke billowed over the area after the strike, which hit what looked like a metal tent situated between two buildings with three bombs, according to an Associated Press photographer on the ground and footage circulating on social media. The photographer saw two burned and destroyed trucks inside the hangar. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

In the warning, the Israeli military said it was targeting Hezbollah facilities in the Hadath area and urged residents to move at least 300 meters from the site before the strike. Two warning strikes followed.

President Joseph Aoun condemned the strike, calling on the United States and France to pressure Israel to halt its attacks.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi terrorists launched a missile early Sunday toward Israel, which the Israeli military said it shot down as U.S. strikes in the Houthi-held capital of Sanaa killed two people.

Sirens sounded in parts of Israel around the Dead Sea. The military said “the missile was intercepted prior to crossing into Israeli territory.”

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed the attack, saying the group targeted Israel’s Nevatim air base with what he identified as a hypersonic missile.

American airstrikes, meanwhile, continued targeting the Houthis overnight into Sunday, part of an intense campaign against the terrorist group that began on March 15.