Israel on Friday launched an attack on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, for the first time since a ceasefire ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war in November.

Associated Press reporters in Beirut heard a loud boom and witnessed smoke rising from the area in Beirut’s southern suburbs that Israel’s military had vowed to strike.

The attack was the first strike on Beirut since a ceasefire took hold on Nov. 27, 2024 between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group, although Israel has struck targets in southern Lebanon almost daily since then.

After the strike, Israel’s army said it attacked a Hezbollah drone storage facility in the area of Dahiyeh, which it called a key Hezbollah stronghold. Israel said Hezbollah uses civilians as human shields and said it issued advanced warning for people to leave.

The area struck is a residential and commercial area and is in close proximity to at least two schools.

The strike came after Israel’s army urgently warned people to evacuate parts of a Beirut suburb, vowing to retaliate against strikes which it said were launched from Lebanon into northern Israel.