Israel Strikes Hezbollah Targets in Beirut After Lebanon Prohibits Group's Military Activities

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - A new wave of explosions tore through Beirut’s southern suburbs in the early hours of Tuesday, as the Israeli military announced it was striking Hezbollah command centers and weapons facilities inside the Lebanese capital.

“The IDF is currently striking Hezbollah command centers and weapons storage facilities in Beirut,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

An airstrike hit the southern suburbs of Beirut following a warning issued by the Israeli army, according to AFP.

The strikes came hours after Lebanon’s government took the unprecedented step of banning Hezbollah’s military and security activities.

Following an emergency cabinet meeting on March 2, 2026, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam declared: “The Lebanese state declares its absolute and unequivocal rejection of any military or security actions launched from Lebanese territory outside the framework of its legitimate institutions.”

He added: “This necessitates the immediate prohibition of all of Hezbollah’s security and military activities, considering them to be outside the law, and obliging it to hand over its weapons.”

Hezbollah, which is represented in both the government and parliament, condemned the decision. Mohammed Raad, head of the group’s parliamentary bloc, denounced what he described as “rash decisions,” saying the Lebanese had expected a move rejecting Israeli aggression.

Earlier on March 2, Hezbollah announced it had launched rockets and drones toward Israel, describing the attack as a response to continued Israeli strikes since a truce was agreed fifteen months ago. In a statement issued in the early hours of March 3, the group said political and diplomatic efforts had failed to “compel (Israel) to implement the ceasefire agreement,” describing its action as “a defensive act and a legitimate right.”

Israel responded by bombarding Beirut’s southern suburbs and dozens of villages in south Lebanon, vowing to make the group pay a “heavy price.”

According to the Lebanese government, the strikes killed at least 52 people and wounded at least 154.

The Israeli military later said it had “completed a broad wave of strikes on Hezbollah terrorist organization targets in southern Lebanon,” adding that more than 70 weapons storage facilities, launch sites, and missile launchers were hit.

Justice Minister Adel Nassar said judicial authorities had tasked security agencies with “immediately arresting those who launched the rockets and their instigators.”

A source close to the Lebanese government reported that two ministers from the Amal Movement and one minister from Hezbollah approved the cabinet’s decision banning the group’s military activities.

The renewed strikes sent civilians scrambling, triggering gridlocked traffic in Beirut as residents fled in cars and on motorcycles carrying their belongings.

The US Embassy in Lebanon renewed its call for citizens to leave Lebanon immediately. The education ministry announced the closure of schools, universities, and educational institutions on March 3 due to “security conditions.”

Lebanese authorities have repeatedly stated they do not wish to involve the country in the wider regional conflict that intensified following a massive US-Israeli attack on Iran.

Prime Minister Salam called on the United States and France, the countries guaranteeing the ceasefire, to “obtain a clear and final commitment from the Israeli side to cease all attacks on the entirety of Lebanese territory.”

He also announced the government’s “full readiness to resume negotiations” with Israel, “with civilian participation and under international auspices.”

The escalation marks one of the most significant confrontations in Beirut since the November 2024 ceasefire, as diplomatic efforts strain under renewed military pressure.