On 23 November 2025, Israel carried out a deadly airstrike on Haret Hreik, a densely populated neighbourhood in Beirut’s southern suburb (Dahieh). The attack killed Hezbollah’s acting chief of staff, Haytham Ali Tabtabai, and five others.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said that the strike injured 28 people and ravaged surrounding buildings.
Families described scenes of panic as plumes of dust and debris suffocated streets, while neighbours rushed to rescue the injured from the rubble.
Civilian casualties …. who cares?
The strike represents one of the most serious violations of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire signed in November 2024. The deal requires Israel to refrain from deep strikes on civilian-populated areas. This is not an isolated incident. Israel struck Dahieh on 28 March, 1 April, 27 April, and again on 5 June 2025 — in a clear display of belligerence and disregard for civilian lives, and, lest we forget, its obligations under international law.
Human rights organisations have condemned the pattern of Israeli attacks across Lebanon.
Amnesty International says these repeated strikes “a clear violation of the laws of war,” highlighting the disproportionate harm inflicted on civilians. The law requires Israel to direct its operations strictly against military objectives — otherwise known as the principle of distinction — no longer worth the paper it’s written on.
The civilian impact is severe.
Over the past 12-months, families in Dahieh have been living under constant fear, not knowing when the next indiscriminate bombings will cost them their lives. The 23 November strike ravaged homes, schools, and medical facilities. Hospitals reported being overwhelmed after the 23 November strike caused countless civilian casualties, and left many children in critical condition.
These attacks, as psychologists warn, deepen the cycle of trauma that has gripped Lebanon since Israel invaded in 1982.
Israel’s friends in crime
These attacks are enabled by Israel’s powerful allies. By supplying the weaponry, these friends of Israel, namely America, illustrate their wanton disregard towards disproportionate harm caused to civilians. And so the senseless violence continues.
Human Rights Watch documented instances in which US-made JDAM guidance kits were used by Israel to attack aid workers. Most precision-guided munitions originate from US and European shipments. These military alliances and the steady flow of arms to Israel, raise serious questions about accountability under international arms-transfer laws. America’s complicity is particularly striking since it brokered the very ceasefire Israel continues to violate.
By supplying weapons, fighter jets, drones, and political support, civilian areas continue unabated. These governments — Israel’s friends in crime — facilitate violations and undermine their stated commitment to human life. This very point has been a rallying call for anti-genocide protesters across Europe, the US, and Australia.
Israeli violations of the ceasefire, brokered after a 66-day full-scale war in November 2024, have become routine — if the genocide in Gaza wasn’t enough to quench Israel’s thirst for blood.
Information International recorded over 2,950 violations in Lebanon, 140 deaths, and 400 injuries.
Lebanon has upheld its end of the deal, while Israel remains emboldened in its belligerence.
Lebanon’s government: too weak to act
The Lebanese government, headed by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, has responded tepidly. While condemning the strikes as a “flagrant violation” of UNSC resolution 1701, Salam is not offering concrete diplomatic or legal solutions. Critics argue that his muted response reflects political fragmentation in the country. Even if true, this inertia leaves civilians without a strong national voice amid escalating attacks.
Salam’s reluctance to confront Israel or mobilize international pressure deepens public frustration and reinforces a long-standing perception, especially among southerners and residents of Dahieh, that the government prioritizes abiding by U.S. directives over defending Lebanese sovereignty.
Observers argue that the government’s hands are tied. Lebanon is beset by its own economic crisis, factionalism, and the absence of a conventional military. A forceful response, when measured against these facts, is a distant possibility. So much for the veneration of sovereignty.
Against this backdrop, the question arises: is the ceasefire merely a facade, enabling Israel to strike civilian areas with near total impunity? As backers look the other way, civilians, tragically, pay the price. Trigger-happy Israel isn’t punishing the government or Hezbollah, as it claims, it’s decimating Lebanon’s southern community.
As the conflict continues, residents of Dahieh face a stark reality.
The people of Dahieh endure the consequences while the international community turns its back. The message is clear: unless decisive action enforces the law, civilian suffering will continue, and the ceasefire’s promise rings empty.
Featured image via Mohamed Kleit
This post was originally published on Canary.