The Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced today that its military launched a strike on a Hezbollah "command center" in Dahiyeh. The operation was carried out under the directive of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Dahiyeh, a densely populated southern suburb of Beirut, lebanon, is considered a key stronghold for Hezbollah. It serves as the primary hub for the group's political and military operations.

The Prime Minister's Office stated the strike was a retaliatory measure following Hezbollah's attacks on Israeli territory. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had previously reported intercepting two rockets launched from lebanon.

The scene following an Israeli strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, lebanon on 7/6. *AFP*

According to lebanon's state news agency NNA, Israeli forces targeted two apartment buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs. The strike killed two people and injured 11. Footage from the scene showed large plumes of smoke rising from the area, with at least one apartment building suffering severe damage.

A source in Israel told CNN that the country had notified the US before initiating the strike.

During a weekly cabinet meeting held on the same day, Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated Israel's commitment to not allowing its territory or communities to be attacked. He affirmed that Tel Aviv would respond with appropriate measures.

This marks the third IDF strike on Beirut since a ceasefire between Israel and lebanon came into effect in mid-april. The US had previously deterred Israel from attacking Beirut as part of that agreement. The two earlier strikes by Israel had targeted senior Hezbollah commanders.

Last week, Israel and lebanon announced a new ceasefire agreement, brokered by the US. Under this agreement, Tel Aviv pledged not to target Beirut if Hezbollah refrained from attacking Israeli civilians. However, the lebanese armed group rejected the terms of this deal.

Iran has warned that an attack on Beirut could reignite full-scale conflict across the Middle East. Hezbollah is an Iran-backed force, and Tehran seeks an agreement with Washington that includes a cessation of hostilities in lebanon.

Location of Beirut, lebanon's capital. *RANE*

Lebanon became embroiled in the Middle East conflict on 2/3, when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israeli territory. This was in retaliation for the assassination of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, during a US-Israel airstrike campaign.

Israel responded with airstrikes across lebanon and deployed troops into the southern part of the neighboring country. The Associated Press (AP) reported that Israel currently controls approximately one-fifth of lebanese territory.