Middle East: Israel strikes Beirut, rejects ceasefire ? DW ? 10
10/16/2024 October 16, 2024 Israel strikes southern Beirut
An Israeli strike hit southern Beirut on Wednesday, media sources reported. Israel's army said its jets had hit a Hezbollah underground strategic weapons storage depot.
It was the first strike on the Lebanese capital in five days.
It comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the idea of a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Netanyahu told French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday that he was "opposed to a unilateral ceasefire, which does not change the security situation in Lebanon, and which will only return it to the way it was", according to a statement from his office.
The strike occurred less than an hour after the Israeli military ordered residents to leave part of the city. Black smoke billowed from between buildings in Haret Hreik.
Earlier, the Israeli military had urged residents to evacuate a specific building in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The military gave the warning in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, that it was set to hit Hezbollah targets there.
Israel has been criticized for its evacuation warnings, with Amnesty International calling them "inadequate," "misleading" and "issued at short notice."
