BEIRUT — An Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern Dahieh suburb early Tuesday killed four people and injured seven, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, further straining a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

The strike, which damaged the top three floors of an apartment building, is the second Israeli attack on Dahieh in recent days.

Israel’s military claimed it targeted Hezbollah operative Hassan Ali Mahmoud Bdeir, alleging he was involved in planning an imminent attack on Israeli civilians in coordination with Hamas.

“Due to the immediate threat posed, the military acted to eliminate him and removed the threat,” said a joint statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA).

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun condemned the attack, calling it “a dangerous warning,” while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam denounced it as a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire.

The truce, brokered in November, ended 13 months of escalating conflict between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia.

However, tensions remain high as Israel continues near-daily airstrikes in Lebanon, targeting what it says are Hezbollah-linked threats.

Lebanese authorities argue these strikes — and the continued Israeli military presence in five locations in southern Lebanon — violate the ceasefire terms.

Last Friday, Israel carried out its first strike on Beirut since the truce, targeting what it described as a Hezbollah drone storage unit.

That strike followed the launch of two rockets from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. Hezbollah denied involvement in the rocket fire and reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire. — BBC