BEIRUT, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Israeli airstrikes hit the Jnah and Bir Hassan areas in Beirut's southern suburbs on Monday evening, the first strikes near central Beirut since a ceasefire in November 2024, local broadcaster al-Jadeed reported.
The Israeli military said it targeted a Hezbollah official but gave no further details.
Israeli strikes across Lebanon killed at least 52 people and wounded 154 on Monday, the government said, updating an earlier toll of 31 dead and 149 injured. The bombardment of southern and eastern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs displaced more than 28,500 people, the government's disaster management unit reported.
Hezbollah lawmaker Mohammed Raad, who heads the group's Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, criticized a government decision declaring all armed activity outside state control illegal. He said the move targets groups confronting Israeli attacks while failing to halt what he described as ongoing aggression.
Raad's statement came hours after social media reports claimed he had been killed in Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahieh. His remarks appeared to refute those claims.
He said Hezbollah's response to Israeli escalation signaled rejection of "submission" and the idea that reconciliation with Israel is the only path to security.
Earlier Monday, Lebanon's Cabinet declared all military and security activity outside state authority illegal, affirming that decisions on war and peace rest solely with state institutions. It ordered security agencies to prevent rocket or drone launches from Lebanese territory, called for restricting weapons north of the Litani River, which runs roughly parallel to the frontier, and urged intensified diplomatic efforts to stop Israeli attacks. ■
