An Israeli strike in eastern Lebanon killed eight Hezbollah members during a meeting in the Bekaa Valley, a Hezbollah official said, as Israel broadened its operations hours after announcing strikes on Hamas targets in the country’s south. Lebanon’s health ministry reported 12 deaths across two regions where Hezbollah holds sway.
The Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said all eight members were gathered near the town of Riyak in the Baalbek-Hermel governorate when the strike hit. A statement from the group later said a “commander” was among those killed. Iran backs Hezbollah as well as Hamas and other allied militias across the region.
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The Israeli military said it targeted “several terrorists of Hezbollah’s missile array in three different command centres in the Baalbek area.” An AFP correspondent in eastern Lebanon observed a bulldozer clearing debris after a strike on Bednayel and reported heavy damage to a building between Riyak and Ali al-Nahri. The raids occurred in residential areas, the correspondent said.
Earlier, an Israeli strike on Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp in the south killed two people, according to the health ministry. Israel’s army said it had targeted Hamas. In a statement, Hamas condemned what it described as an attack that caused civilian casualties and said the struck building belonged to the joint security force tasked with maintaining order in the camp.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the latest attacks, which came days after the government announced the army would commence the second phase of its plan to disarm Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. He called the strikes “a blatant act of aggression aimed at thwarting diplomatic efforts” by the United States and other nations to stabilize the border.
Washington is one of five members on a multinational committee overseeing a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah agreed in November 2024 after more than a year of hostilities. The body is scheduled to meet again next week amid mounting concerns that repeated violations risk hardening positions on both sides.
Hezbollah lawmaker Rami Abu Hamdan criticized the authorities for what he described as a muted response, saying the group “will not accept the authorities acting as mere political analysts, dismissing these as Israeli strikes we have grown accustomed to before every meeting of the committee.” He urged Beirut to suspend committee meetings until Israel halts its attacks.
Lebanon’s government last year pledged to disarm Hezbollah in stages, with the army saying last month it had completed the first phase of the plan in areas closest to the Israeli border. Israel, which accuses Hezbollah of replenishing stockpiles and expanding its missile capabilities since the last major escalation, has called the army’s progress insufficient.
Israel has carried out regular cross-border strikes despite the ceasefire framework, typically saying it is targeting Hezbollah infrastructure and personnel and, at times, Hamas militants operating inside Lebanon. The latest barrage underscores the risk that skirmishes far from the frontier—such as in the Bekaa—could draw in wider areas and further strain the fragile truce.
As rescue crews cleared rubble in eastern towns and residents surveyed damage in southern camps, the death toll underscored the human cost of the widening strikes: Ten people were killed in the east and two in the south, the health ministry said. With diplomatic efforts under pressure and military actions spreading, the risk of a broader confrontation persists even amid formal mechanisms meant to keep the calm.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
