Daijiworld Media Network - Beirut
Beirut, Feb 21: Israeli attacks have killed at least 12 people in eastern and southern Lebanon, marking the latest reported breach of the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and the armed group Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported that air strikes on the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon killed at least six people and left more than 25 wounded. The injured were distributed across hospitals in the region. The death toll was later updated to more than 10, with at least 30 wounded following an attack on a building in the town of Riyaq in the Bekaa governorate. Search operations for survivors were still ongoing at the site.
The Israeli army said it targeted “Hezbollah command centres” in the Baalbek area of Bekaa. A Hezbollah source told AFP that a military leader from the group was among those killed.
Earlier on Friday, Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said at least two people were killed in an Israeli attack on the Ein el-Hilweh camp, the country’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, located on the outskirts of the southern city of Sidon. NNA reported that an Israeli drone struck the Hittin neighbourhood of the camp.
In a statement, the Israeli military said it had struck a “Hamas command centre” from which militants were operating, citing repeated violations of the ceasefire understandings. Hamas condemned the strike, saying it resulted in civilian casualties.
According to NNA, the strike on the refugee camp caused significant damage to a building previously used by the joint Palestinian security force but later rented to operate a food aid kitchen.
In November last year, Israel carried out a major raid on Ein el-Hilweh that killed 13 people, including 11 children, according to the United Nations rights office. The Israeli military said at the time it was targeting Hamas, which rejected the claim and said it does not operate training facilities in Lebanon’s refugee camps.
Despite the November 2024 ceasefire aimed at halting more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, Israel has continued regular strikes in Lebanon. The United Nations has reported that Israeli forces launched more than 10,000 air and ground attacks in the year since the ceasefire was agreed.
The UN rights office said it verified at least 108 civilian casualties from Israeli attacks since the ceasefire, including at least 21 women and 16 children.
Lebanon has filed a complaint with the UN Security Council over repeated Israeli violations, urging the international body to press Israel to halt its attacks and fully withdraw from Lebanese territory. Israel continues to hold five positions inside Lebanon, delaying reconstruction efforts in border villages and preventing thousands of displaced residents from returning home.
On Sunday, Lebanon said an Israeli strike near the Syrian border killed four people, while Israel stated it had targeted operatives from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group in Lebanon.