Israeli airstrikes kill 12 in Lebanon as ceasefire comes under strain

WEB DESK: In a sharp escalation that has once again tested the fragile peace in the region, Israeli airstrikes struck eastern and southern Lebanon on Friday, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more, according to Lebanese authorities. The attacks, described by officials as the latest breaches of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, targeted civilian areas and prompted urgent rescue efforts amid widespread destruction.

According to Al Jazeera, in the eastern Bekaa Valley, warplanes struck a building in the town of Riyaq, near Baalbek, reducing it to rubble. Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) initially reported at least six dead and more than 25 wounded, with victims rushed to hospitals across the area. The toll later rose to over 10 fatalities and at least 30 injured as search teams continued combing the site for survivors under the threat of ongoing strikes. Israel’s military defended the operation, stating it had targeted Hezbollah “command centres” allegedly used to plan attacks, while a Hezbollah source confirmed to AFP that one of the group’s military leaders had been killed.

Ein el-Hilweh attack fuels dispute over ceasefire violations

Further south, in Ein el-Hilweh, Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Sidon, an Israeli drone strike hit the Hittin neighbourhood. At least two people were killed and a building formerly used for camp security, but now serving as a kitchen for food aid distribution, was severely damaged. Israel maintained the strike eliminated a Hamas “command centre” in retaliation for ceasefire violations. Hamas rejected the claim as a “fabrication,” insisting it maintains no such facilities in Lebanon’s refugee camps and condemned the attack for causing civilian casualties.

The strikes occur against a backdrop of persistent tension. Since the US-brokered truce ended over a year of intense hostilities in late 2024, Israel has conducted more than 10,000 attacks, according to UN figures, which have verified at least 108 civilian deaths from Israeli actions post-ceasefire, including women and children. Lebanon has repeatedly lodged complaints with the United Nations, demanding that Israel halt the strikes and withdraw from occupied border areas. Five Lebanese territories remain under Israeli control, obstructing reconstruction and preventing displaced families from returning home.

In recent weeks, similar strikes have occurred, including one near the Syrian border that killed four people, with Israel claiming it targeted Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives. The latest fatalities have heightened fears of renewed full-scale conflict, as both sides exchange blame for undermining the fragile peace. Rescue operations continue in Riyaq, while hospitals tend to the wounded and communities mourn those lost in the latest violence.