Israel strikes Beirut after Hezbollah attack, risking Iran response

Israel struck Beirut's southern suburbs Sunday in retaliation to a Hezbollah missile attack on northern Israel, Israeli officials said.

Why it matters: Iran threatened last week to launch a missile attack against Israel if it attacks Beirut.

Such a move could unravel U.S.–Iran negotiations and reignite the war.

• Israel notified the Trump administration before the strike, a U.S. official and two other sources with knowledge tell Axios.

Driving the news: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike answered Hezbollah missiles fired at northern Israel earlier Sunday, which the Israeli military says it intercepted.

• Israeli officials said the Beirut strike targeted a Hezbollah command center in Dahieh — a Shia district known as a Hezbollah stronghold.
• At least two people were killed and a dozen wounded, according to Lebanon's state news agency.

Threat level: A senior Iranian lawmaker publicly threatened retaliation.

• Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of the Iranian parliament's national security committee, https://x.com/EbrahimRezaei14/status/2063625762947707228" target="_blank">wrote on X that Iran "will give a decisive and painful response to the Zionist regime's attack on Dahieh."
• He told followers to "watch the skies" over Israel tonight.

Behind the scenes: The Israelis told the Trump administration that Hezbollah's continued attacks on northern Israel violate a ceasefire, giving Israel the right to hit Beirut, the sources told Axios.

• The Israelis made clear they will continue hitting the Beirut every time Hezbollah launches attacks against northern Israel.
• The White House and the State Department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Catch up quick: On Monday, President https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_self">Trump put the brakes on Israel's plan to launch massive strikes on Beirut in response to Hezbollah's drone and missile strikes.

• Trump lashed out at Netanyahu in an https://www.axios.com/2026/06/01/trump-netanyahu-israel-lebanon-call" target="_self">expletive-laden call.
• After the call, Trump announced a partial ceasefire that included an Israeli commitment not to attack Beirut in return for Hezbollah stopping attacks on Israeli border towns.
• On Wednesday, https://www.axios.com/world/israel" target="_self">Israel and Lebanon https://www.axios.com/2026/06/03/israel-lebanon-ceasefire-hezbollah-us" target="_blank">agreed to a full ceasefire, contingent on Hezbollah halting attacks and withdrawing its operatives from the area south of the Litani River in Lebanon.
• https://www.axios.com/2026/06/01/lebanon-full-ceasefire-hezbollah-israel-nabih-berri" target="_self">Hezbollah rejected the terms Thursday.

  Without Hezbollah's agreement, the ceasefire stayed "on paper."