Israeli warplanes struck central Beirut early Sunday for the first time in weeks, hitting an Arab socialist Baath party building, as a key Netanyahu ally seized on recent security incidents to push for revival of controversial judicial reforms that had previously sparked nationwide protests.
The strike in Lebanon’s capital, preceded by Israeli military evacuation warnings on social media platform X, left four dead and four wounded, according to an Associated Press photographer at the scene. Church bells rang across the area as residents fled the unexpected attack in central Beirut, marking a significant escalation in Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah.
The Israeli military simultaneously urged residents of more than a dozen southern Lebanese villages to evacuate as ground forces advanced northward. The escalating conflict has claimed more than 3,400 Lebanese lives and displaced 1.2 million people, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, while Hezbollah attacks have killed 76 Israelis, including 31 soldiers, and forced 60,000 northern residents to flee.
In Israel, Justice Minister Yariv Levin used a recent flare attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence to advocate for reviving his controversial judicial overhaul plan. “The time has come to provide full support for the restoration of the justice system and the law enforcement systems, and to put an end to anarchy,” Levin said in a statement.
The proposal drew swift condemnation from Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, who wrote on X that while he “strongly condemns” the attack on Netanyahu’s home, “Levin should go home with rest of this irresponsible government. We will not let him turn Israel into an undemocratic state.”
The judicial reform debate had sparked massive protests before the October war, with opponents viewing it as a power grab by Netanyahu, who faces corruption charges. Many Israelis believe these internal divisions weakened the country before Hamas’s October attack.
Hezbollah has intensified its attacks on Israel since September, when limited border clashes erupted into full-scale war. The group has expanded its range to central Israel, with a recent rocket barrage damaging a Haifa synagogue and wounding two civilians.
The conflict’s expansion into central Beirut and revival of contentious domestic political issues suggests a broadening crisis that threatens both regional stability and Israeli internal cohesion, as the country grapples simultaneously with external threats and domestic political divisions.
