Israel Strikes Beirut Suburbs, Widens Lebanon Offensive

Israeli aircraft struck a residential building in the Choueifat area south of Beirut on Thursday, marking the first Israeli raid near the Lebanese capital in weeks. Lebanon's health ministry said the strike killed three people, including a woman and her baby daughter, and wounded 15 others.

The same day, Israeli strikes across south Lebanon killed at least 14 people, including three children, according to Lebanese authorities.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was supposed to take effect on April 17 but has not been observed by either side. Both sides accuse each other of violations and cite the other's alleged breaches to justify continued attacks. Lebanon's health ministry reported that Israeli attacks since the truce announcement have killed 3,324 people, an increase of 55 from the previous day.

Israel's army stated that approximately 2,500 Hezbollah fighters have been eliminated since March, including 800 since the ceasefire.

Israeli military delegations are scheduled to meet at the Pentagon on Friday. -brokered talks are also planned for early next week, the fourth round since the latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict began. Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc urged Lebanese authorities to withdraw from the direct negotiations, accusing Israel of seeking to impose security coordination.

The Iran-backed group claimed it carried out around 20 attacks on Israeli troops in south Lebanon on Thursday. " — Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, May 28, 2026 (AFP) Israeli forces declared all areas south of Lebanon's Zahrani River combat zones on Wednesday and ordered residents to evacuate.

Strikes hit Tyre and Sidon early Thursday, with one strike in Tyre's archaeological district damaging a building. UN Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric expressed concern and called on both sides to respect the ceasefire. The UNIFIL peacekeeping force reported that Wednesday saw around 670 projectiles fired, the highest level since April 17.