"The Beirut strike should not have taken place, especially on a pivotal day when we are very close to a peace agreement with Iran", US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on 14/6.

The US leader affirmed Israel's right to self-defense against threats. However, he deemed the strike on the Dahiyeh district in southern Beirut, Lebanon, "very small and meaningless, with no one injured or killed."

Moment a building in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon was attacked on 14/6. *Video: IDF*

"This important process should not be interrupted. We are very close to an agreement that will bring peace to the region, including Lebanon. All parties should cease attacks. This could be the start of a lasting and good peace; do not ruin everything", he wrote.

CNN reported on the same day, citing an Israeli source, that Israeli officials had notified the US about the Beirut airstrike operation. The source added that Israel had considered the possibility of Iran launching retaliatory ballistic missiles on the very day President Trump announced he would sign a ceasefire agreement.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Commander Eyal Zamir met with commanders after the Beirut airstrike. "The military will maintain a state of alert, ready for various defensive and offensive scenarios. We will not tolerate attacks on Israel", the IDF stated.

The IDF later added that it was preparing for the possibility of "Israel being attacked in the coming hours."

The IDF announced this afternoon that it had attacked "Hezbollah's headquarters" in Dahiyeh, a district considered a stronghold for Hezbollah, where the armed group centralizes its political and military apparatus. Lebanon's Ministry of Health reported that the airstrike killed three people, including two women, and injured 16.

Scene of the airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon on 14/6. *Photo: AFP*

The operation occurred after the IDF stated that three suspected Hezbollah unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) had attacked northern Israel, causing no casualties. Hezbollah, on the same day, announced an attack on Israeli troop positions in southern Lebanon but did not mention any operations targeting the neighboring country.

Mohammad Jafar Assadi, deputy head of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Command, Iran's supreme military command, warned that Israel's airstrike "will be met with a response."

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said the incident showed that the US "lacks the will or ability to fulfill its commitments" regarding ending hostilities in Lebanon. "If they cannot enforce commitments, maintaining dialogue on the current path is meaningless", he said.

Clashes between Israel and Hezbollah erupted on 2/3 when the armed group launched rockets into the neighboring country in retaliation for the death of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The conflict has since killed nearly 3,800 people in Lebanon.

Israel and Lebanon began direct negotiations in Washington in April to end hostilities, with the 5th round of talks expected by the end of this month. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah has honored the ceasefire announced in April.

Location of Israel and Lebanon. *Graphic: AFP*

Hezbollah rejected direct negotiations and denied the conditional ceasefire agreement announced in early June. This proposal required Hezbollah to cease attacks but did not mention similar actions by Israel or its withdrawal from Lebanon.

The IDF's most recent airstrike on Beirut was on 7/6, following accusations that Hezbollah had launched rockets into Israel. Iran retaliated by firing missiles into enemy territory. The clashes were brief and ended when Trump called for a ceasefire between the two sides.

Nguyen Tien (According to AFP, Reuters, Times of Israel, Al Jazeera)