BEIRUT (Reuters) - An Israeli airstrike targeted a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut's southern suburbs late on Tuesday in what the Israeli military said was retaliation for a cross-border rocket attack that killed 12 children and teenagers on Saturday.
Armed group Hezbollah denied involvement in the attack.
The following are reactions from global players regarding the incident.
LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER NAJIB MIKATI ON X
"This criminal act that took place tonight is a link in a series of aggressive operations that claim civilians in clear violation of international law and international humanitarian law. This is something we place in the direction of the international community, which must bear its responsibilities and press with all force to oblige Israel to stop its aggression and threats and implement international resolutions."
LEBANON'S FOREIGN MINISTER ABDALLAH BOU HABIB TO REUTERS
"We were not expecting them to hit Beirut and they hit Beirut." He said he hoped any response by Hezbollah "will be proportionate and will not be more than that, so that this wave of killing, hitting and shelling will stop."
PALESTINIAN GROUP HAMAS STATEMENT
"We strongly condemn the brutal Zionist aggression against Lebanon and the brotherly Lebanese people, which targeted a Hezbollah headquarters in the southern suburb of Beirut, and resulted in the martyrdom and injury of a number of innocent citizens, and we consider it a dangerous escalation for which the Nazi Zionist occupation bears full responsibility."
YEMEN'S HOUTHI MOVEMENT ON AL MASIRAH TV
"We denounce in the strongest terms the Zionist aggression against the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, in a terrorist attack that premeditatedly and deliberately targeted civilians and civilian facilities in violation of all international conventions, and in flagrant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and international humanitarian law."
IRAN'S EMBASSY IN LEBANON ON X
"We condemn in the strongest terms the sinful and cowardly Israeli aggression that targeted the southern suburb of Beirut, which claimed the lives of a number of martyrs and wounded."
SYRIA'S FOREIGN MINISTRY ON STATE NEWS WEBSITE
"The Israeli attack is a clear violation of international law, which comes two days after its heinous crime in the town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian Golan."
WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON TO REUTERS
"We defer to Israel to speak to its own military operations. We reiterate our clear position: Our commitment to Israel's security is ironclad and unwavering against all Iran-backed threats, including Hezbollah, and we are working on a diplomatic solution that will allow citizens to safely return to their homes."
RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY VIA STATE-RUN TASS NEWS
The Israeli strike on Beirut is "a flagrant violation of international law."
IRAQ'S FOREIGN MINISTRY IN A STATEMENT POSTED ON X
"Iraq strongly condemns and denounces the Israeli aggression on Beirut's southern suburbs. The attack is a blatant violation of international law and conventions that poses a serious threat to the stability of the region."
(Reporting by Adam Makary, Jaidaa Taha and Ahmed Tolba; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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