At least 10 individuals lost their lives, and 50 sustained injuries in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, as confirmed by two security sources to Reuters. The Israeli military disclosed that it had aimed at Hezbollah locations in the Baalbek region.
The airstrikes that occurred on Friday marked some of the most fatal incidents in eastern Lebanon recently, posing a challenge to the delicate US-mediated truce between Israel and the Shi’ite Islamist organization Hezbollah. This ceasefire has faced strains due to repeated allegations of breaches.
According to the Israeli military’s statement, the airstrikes targeted Hezbollah command hubs in the Baalbek district situated in the eastern part of Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. In a subsequent announcement on Saturday, the military announced the elimination of multiple Hezbollah operatives linked to missile operations in three distinct command posts. These facilities were identified as key in enhancing the group’s preparedness and military capacity while plotting attacks on Israel.
Sources within security reported that a senior Hezbollah figure was among the casualties, with no immediate response from Hezbollah itself. The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah brokered by the US in 2024 was designed to halt over a year of cross-border clashes culminating in Israeli offensives that weakened the Iran-aligned group. Nonetheless, both sides have accused each other of violating the truce.
US and Israeli authorities have urged Lebanese officials to restrain Hezbollah’s weaponry, while Lebanese leaders have cautioned that broader Israeli assaults may exacerbate the country’s existing political and economic turmoil.
Additionally, the Israeli military disclosed targeting what it identified as a Hamas command center from where militants operated in the Ain al-Hilweh vicinity in southern Lebanon, near Sidon, a densely populated Palestinian refugee camp.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun criticized the Israeli airstrikes overnight in the Sidon region and Bekaa towns, condemning them as a fresh transgression of Lebanon’s sovereignty and a violation of UN commitments. Aoun urged nations advocating regional stability, including the United States, to exert pressure for an immediate cessation to prevent further escalation.
In response to the Israeli strike on Ain al-Hilweh, Hamas issued a statement rejecting Israeli claims about the target and clarifying that the site belonged to the camp’s Joint Security Force responsible for upholding security.
