Israel bombs Beirut despite ceasefire agreed by Trump

BeirutThe southern neighborhoods of Beirut have once again been the scene of Israeli attacks this Sunday, just four days after the announcement of a new agreement reached between Israel and Lebanon in Washington. The bombing of Dahieh, a political and social stronghold of Hezbollah, has left at least two dead and has marked a new turn in a conflict that, far from showing signs of de-escalation, continues to expand on the ground.

The day has been marked by intense Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa Valley. According to sources from the Lebanese Ministry of Health, at least twenty people have died in the last twenty-four hours. Israeli aviation has bombed more than a dozen towns in the regions of Tyre, Nabatiyeh, and the Bekaa, while Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for new drone and rocket attacks against Israeli positions. The city of Tyre has concentrated a good part of the attacks. Hours after Israel ordered its evacuation, several airstrikes have hit the urban center, in a new demonstration of the expansion of the Israeli campaign, which Trump has not stopped, despite telling Netanyahu that he was "damn crazy" for continuing the attacks in Lebanon.

But it has been the return of bombings to Beirut that has concentrated diplomatic attention. Dahieh had been one of the main Israeli targets during the most intense months of the war, and its relative calm in recent weeks had fueled the hope that the capital would remain on the sidelines of the war.

The attack also comes at an inconvenient time for Washington. After negotiations held this week, Donald Trump's administration had presented the agreement as a way to contain the conflict and prevent an expansion of fighting. However, Beirut's return to the list of Israeli targets questions the real limits of this strategy.

In recent days, the idea that the United States was willing to accept the continuation of Israeli operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, as long as the capital was kept out of the equation, had gained strength. The bombing of Dahieh weakens this premise and once again places Beirut at the center of a war that many considered to be geographically contained.

Trump's statements this Sunday also reinforce the impression that Washington continues to prioritize military pressure on Hezbollah. In an interview with NBC News, the US president stated that he would like to see "more surgical" attacks against the Shiite movement, without questioning the continuation of the Israeli campaign. Trump also made it clear that Lebanon is not among the immediate priorities of any eventual negotiation with Iran.

The Iranian response was not long in coming. Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the National Security Commission, assured that Tehran will respond "with determination and firmness" to the Israeli attack against Dahieh. "Look up at the sky of Israel tonight," he declared. In an even stronger tone, Iranian military sources warned of a possible expansion of the regional response if attacks against Hezbollah continue, including scenarios that could reach northern Israel and the cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv.

On the military front, Hezbollah claimed to have repelled an Israeli ground advance attempt in the south of the country and claimed responsibility for several operations against Israeli troops. Since the announcement of the pact, the Shiite group has insisted that it will not accept a scenario where it is asked to cease its attacks, while Israel retains the freedom to continue its military operations.

The situation leaves the agreement in an increasingly fragile position. On paper, Washington continues to argue that there is a roadmap to reduce violence. On the ground, the bombings continue, Hezbollah responds and Beirut is bombed again. Four days after the announcement of the agreement, the promise of containment that accompanied the negotiations seems increasingly difficult to sustain.