An Israeli airstrike that targeted a warehouse in the Beirut suburb of Hadath on Sunday came after a series of prior warnings delivered to both Lebanese authorities and Hezbollah, according to diplomatic sources cited by Asas Media.

The sources said Israel had formally requested that the Lebanese army inspect the site, warning that Lebanon would bear full responsibility for any consequences if the army was blocked from entering. Hezbollah reportedly refused to grant access, sparking tensions between the group and the military; tensions that both sides kept out of public view to avoid further escalation.

Israeli fighter jets carried out the strike using U.S.-made MK-82 bunker-busting bombs. The attack followed multiple undisclosed alerts, including one last Thursday that flagged the suspected presence of Hezbollah weaponry in the facility.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the government waited 72 hours for the Lebanese army to inspect the site. When that didn’t happen, Israel acted unilaterally, claiming it was necessary to "neutralize a potential threat" to the fragile ceasefire and to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

Israeli officials alleged the warehouse was used to store medium and heavy weapons and served as an entry point to tunnels extending into the southern Beirut suburbs.

The strike specifically targeted a ballistic missile believed to have been stored beneath the hangar. Two of the three bombs detonated on impact; the third failed to explode and remained lodged underground. In the aftermath, Israel issued a new warning, threatening to launch a second strike if the targeted missile was not dismantled.

Sources said the Lebanese army eventually sent a unit to the site but was initially blocked by Hezbollah, which sealed off the area for several hours following the strike. After a series of urgent backchannel contacts, the army was granted access around dawn on Monday and proceeded to dismantle the ballistic missile.

Under what diplomats described as the current rules of engagement, any rhetorical escalation by Hezbollah now prompts Israel to expand its operational latitude north of the Litani River. Any military activity by Hezbollah—no matter how limited—is met with threats of a broader Israeli military campaign across Lebanon.

“If Hezbollah continues to prevent the Lebanese army from inspecting its weapons sites, further strikes are inevitable,” one diplomatic source warned.