At least 10 individuals lost their lives and 50 sustained injuries in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, as reported by two security sources to Reuters. The Israeli military confirmed targeting Hezbollah locations in the Baalbek region.
The airstrikes on Friday marked some of the deadliest incidents in eastern Lebanon recently, potentially straining the delicate US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The ceasefire has faced challenges due to recurrent allegations of breaches.
According to the Israeli military’s statement, the strikes aimed at Hezbollah command centers in the Baalbek vicinity within the Bekaa Valley. In a subsequent communication, the military stated that it had taken out several Hezbollah operatives from missile installations in three distinct command centers. These targets were identified as crucial for accelerating Hezbollah’s operational readiness and force enhancement while planning attacks against Israel.
Among the casualties was a senior Hezbollah official, as conveyed by the security sources, with no immediate response from Hezbollah. The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, brokered by the US in 2024, aimed to halt over a year of cross-border confrontations that culminated in Israeli assaults weakening the Iran-aligned group. However, both sides have continued to accuse each other of flouting the ceasefire terms.
Efforts from US and Israeli authorities have urged Lebanese officials to constrain Hezbollah’s weaponry, while Lebanese leaders caution that broader Israeli offensives could exacerbate the country’s existing political and economic turmoil.
Furthermore, the Israeli military disclosed a strike on what it labeled a Hamas command center in the Ain al-Hilweh region in southern Lebanon, a densely populated Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun criticized the Israeli airstrikes in the Sidon area and Bekaa towns as a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and UN obligations. Aoun urged nations advocating regional stability, including the US, to intervene promptly to prevent further escalation.
Hamas denounced the Israeli attack on Ain al-Hilweh, refuting Israeli claims about the target and asserting that the site belonged to the camp’s Joint Security Force responsible for upholding security.