Israel carried out a strike on Beirut, the Lebanese capital, for the first time since the ceasefire that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war in November.

The attack on Friday targeted a building in Beirut's southern suburbs and was in response to rocket fire from its northern neighbor, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

The IDF said it wanted to destroy a drone storage facility belonging to the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.

Lebanon's National News Agency confirmed, "Israeli warplanes struck the Hadath neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs."

Israel also bombarded Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Friday, the Israeli military said.

Macron says strikes on Beirut violate ceasefire

Speaking alongside Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who was visiting Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said the strike on Beirut was "unacceptable," adding that such attacks "play into the hands of Hezbollah."

France is on the committee tasked with overseeing the ceasefire.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, however, said the Lebanese government bore direct responsibility for the attack and warned, "If there is no quiet in Kiryat Shmona and the Galilee communities, there will be no quiet in Beirut either."

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said the exchange of fire across the southern border on Friday was "deeply concerning."

Hezbollah denies responsibility for strikes on Israel

Hezbollah denied involvement in Friday's rocket attack on Israel and another last Saturday.

The group said it remained committed to the ceasefire agreement reached with Israel in November.

The ceasefire was intended to bring an end to months of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.

The militant group began attacking Israel with rockets and artillery a day after the Hamas terror attacks on October 7, 2023.

That escalated into all-out war, with Israel conducting an intense bombing campaign on Beirut and sending in ground troops.

Under the ceasefire deal, the Lebanese military would deploy additional soldiers to the south, and Hezbollah would remove its fighters and weapons.

The truce also brought a partial Israeli withdrawal from the south.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar