Israeli airstrike kills at least 3 in Beirut

The Israeli military struck a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs early Tuesday, killing at least three people, in an attack it said targeted a member of the Hizbollah group.

The airstrike came without warning days after Israel launched an attack on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Friday for the first time since a ceasefire ended fighting between Israeli forces and the Hizbollah group in November.

At least seven other people were wounded in Tuesday’s airstrike, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The Israeli military said in a statement the latest strike targeted a Hizbollah member who had been helping the Palestinian Hamas group in the Gaza Strip in attacks against Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has withdrawn his nomination of a former navy commander to lead the country’s internal security agency after a flurry of criticism.

Netanyahu’s office said in a statement early Tuesday after meeting with Vice Adm. Eli Sharvit that he “intends to examine other candidates,” without elaborating.

The nomination announced on Monday had provoked widespread criticism from allies and opponents.

Critics of Netanyahu are already up in arms over his move to fire Ronen Bar, the current head of the Shin Bet domestic security agency, viewing it as part of a broader assault on state institutions at a time when Netanyahu is on trial for alleged corruption and his aides are being investigated over links to the Gulf Arab nation of Qatar.

Israel’s Supreme Court froze Bar’s dismissal pending further hearings but cleared the way for Netanyahu to interview candidates for the job.

The nomination of Sharvit angered some of Netanyahu’s allies after Israeli media reported that he had taken part in protests against Netanyahu’s plans to overhaul the judiciary in 2023.

Associated Press