Israel’s military struck Beirut, aiming at a Hezbollah leader, in response to a rocket attack on Saturday in the Golan Heights that killed 12 young people.
The Israel Defense Forces said it targeted “the commander responsible for the murder of the children” in the Golan town of Majdal Shams and “the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians.”
Israel does not intend more immediate strikes in retaliation for the weekend attack, two senior officials from the country said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
TV footage out of Beirut shows plumes of smoke rising from buildings in Haret Hreik in the southern suburbs, home to many supporters of Hezbollah. Lebanese state media report that a drone fired three rockets at Lebanon’s capital and one woman was killed.
The Israeli shekel weakened to session lows, slumping as much as 1.1% to 3.77 per dollar, before trimming some of the losses as of 8:45 p.m. in Tel Aviv.
Read more: Oil prices stabilise after Golan Heights attack
Israel blamed Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group and political party, for the strike on the Druze town in the Golan. Hezbollah’s denied it was responsible.
{{/usCountry}}Israel blamed Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group and political party, for the strike on the Druze town in the Golan. Hezbollah’s denied it was responsible.
{{/usCountry}}The US agreed with Israel that Hezbollah was culpable but urged all sides to avoid any escalation that could lead to a wider war in the region.
The killings at a football field at Majdal Shams inflamed tensions, with some analysts fearing it could trigger a full-on conflict between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel.
They’ve been exchanging fire almost every day since Israel’s war against Hamas erupted in October, with Hezbollah saying it’s acting in solidarity with the group and Palestinians in Gaza.
The strike on the Golan was by far the worst in terms of civilian fatalities within Israeli-controlled territory. Israel and Hezbollah have mostly targeted military sites.