CNN —
The Israeli military struck southern Beirut on Friday for the first time since November, after Israel said that two projectiles had been fired from Lebanon.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it “struck a terrorist infrastructure site used to store UAVs by Hezbollah’s Aerial Unit (127) in the area of Dahieh, a key Hezbollah terrorist stronghold in Beirut.”
The IDF said Hezbollah “systematically embeds its terrorist infrastructure amidst the Lebanese civilian population, a clear example of Hezbollah’s cynical exploitation of Lebanese civilians as human shields.”
Shortly before the strikes, the IDF issued evacuation orders to Lebanese residents in a neighborhood in southern Beirut.
“To everyone located in the building marked in red on the map, as well as the surrounding buildings: you are in close proximity to Hezbollah-affiliated facilities,” the IDF said. “For your safety and the safety of your families, you must evacuate these buildings immediately and move at least 300 meters away, as indicated on the map.”
The area is home to a number of schools. The Lebanese government suspended classes on Friday after Israel’s evacuation order, telling “all students, teachers, and administrative staff” to leave the area, according to Lebanon’s state news agency NNA.
According to an Israeli official, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and other officials were convening Friday for a security assessment about Lebanon.
The Israeli military said two projectiles were fired at Israel from Lebanon Friday, triggering warning sirens along the border and testing the shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. In response, Katz said that Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel and Lebanon’s capital Beirut “will be treated the same.”
“If there is no peace in Kiryat Shmona and the Galilee communities, there will be no peace in Beirut either,” he said, according to a statement from the defense ministry.
The Lebanese army said on Friday it had found a rocket launch site from which projectiles could have been fired at Israel, adding that it “has begun an investigation to determine the identity of those launching them.”
The army added that Israel’s strike on Lebanon represents “a blatant and repeated violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and the security of its citizens, a challenge to international law, and a flagrant breach of the ceasefire agreement.”
Hezbollah has denied involvement in rockets fired from southern Lebanon at Israel on Friday, saying it is committed to the ceasefire agreement.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that, following Friday’s Israeli strikes, his government has been in touch with US officials regarding the ceasefire that came into effect in November.
“There is a ceasefire in place, and both sides are expected to respect the agreement,” Aoun said.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu said Friday that his country would “attack everywhere” in Lebanon in response to any threat against Israel.
“Those who have not yet internalized the new situation in Lebanon received today another example of our determination,” Netanyahu said. “We will not allow firing on our communities, not even a drizzle… We will attack everywhere in Lebanon against any threat to the State of Israel, and we will ensure that all our residents in the north return to their homes safely.”
Tensions have risen in the region in recent weeks following the most significant eruption of violence between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group since a ceasefire signed four months ago brought an uneasy calm to the border.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in November brought a significant reduction in violence following more than a year of cross-border strikes and months of a full-scale war.
Israel has conducted dozens of strikes, mostly in southern Lebanon on what it calls Hezbollah targets, since the ceasefire.