Israeli military operations in eastern and southern Lebanon resulted in twelve fatalities on Friday, according to Lebanese health authorities. The strikes targeted multiple locations, including the Bekaa Valley and the Ain al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp, marking a significant escalation in cross-border hostilities.
The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that Israeli strikes in the Bekaa Valley killed ten individuals and left twenty-four wounded, including three children. Earlier reports from the National News Agency had indicated six fatalities with twenty-five injuries from what they described as ‘heavy strikes’ in the region.
Israel’s military stated that the operations specifically targeted ‘Hezbollah command centers’ and Hamas infrastructure. A Hezbollah communiqué confirmed the death of one of its commanders in the Bekaa Valley raids, acknowledging the blow to its leadership structure.
Separately, an Israeli drone strike targeted the densely populated Ain al-Helweh camp near Sidon, resulting in two additional deaths. An AFP correspondent observed smoke rising from damaged structures as emergency services rushed to the scene. Israel defended this operation as targeting a ‘Hamas command center from which terrorists operated,’ while Hamas officials denied any military presence in the camp and condemned what they called ‘civilian casualties.’
These developments occur despite a November 2024 ceasefire agreement that had sought to de-escalate more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. The Lebanese government’s commitment to disarm Hezbollah, with the army completing the first phase of this plan near the Israeli border, has been met with skepticism from Israeli officials who accuse the group of rearming.
The ongoing violence represents the most serious flare-up since the October 2023 outbreak of hostilities, when Hezbollah began rocket attacks in support of Hamas at the outset of the Gaza conflict, culminating in two months of intense warfare between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group.