At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured on Friday in separate Israeli attacks across Lebanon, including a deadly strike on the Ain al‑Hilweh refugee camp in Sidon in southern Lebanon and a series of airstrikes on the Beqaa region in the east, Lebanese and Palestinian medical sources said.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that 10 people were killed and 30 wounded in multiple Israeli airstrikes on the Beqaa, marking one of the deadliest attacks in the region since the escalation began. Details on the identities of the victims and the specific locations targeted were still emerging.
In Sidon, the Palestinian Red Crescent said an Israeli airstrike struck a home in the Hittin neighborhood of the Ain al‑Hilweh refugee camp, killing two people and injuring three others.
The Lebanese National News Agency has reported that the targeted building had previously housed the joint Palestinian security force and was recently rented by a resident who used it as a kitchen to prepare and distribute food parcels.
The Israeli military claimed it had targeted a site allegedly used by Hamas members in the Ain al‑Hilweh area.
Hamas condemned the strike, calling it “a brutal act of aggression” that resulted in civilian casualties and violated Lebanon’s sovereignty.
The movement said the attack on a densely populated refugee camp represented a dangerous escalation and a disregard for international law, adding that the building belonged to the joint security force responsible for maintaining stability inside the camp.
The Ain al‑Hilweh strike occurred alongside a broader wave of Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon early Friday. Several towns, including Yaroun, Marwahin, and Sheihin, were hit with missile fire and heavy machine‑gun bursts, while an Israeli drone launched two missiles at the outskirts of Markaba, according to Lebanese media reports. The Israeli army also carried out a controlled detonation near Al-Aadaissah.
The Lebanese‑Palestinian Dialogue Committee condemned the attacks, describing them as violations of Lebanese sovereignty and breaches of international law.
The committee warned that the escalation threatens Lebanon’s fragile stability, particularly within Palestinian refugee camps.
Despite a U.S.‑brokered ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024, Israel has continued to carry out near‑daily airstrikes, demolitions, and military operations in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces have also remained stationed on five strategic hilltops in the south, despite the agreement’s requirement for a full withdrawal.
