Israel steps up bloodshed in Lebanon

At least nine people have been killed and 25 others injured in a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting eastern Lebanon.

The strikes hit multiple locations in the Bekaa region, including the towns of Riyaq, Bednayel, Qsarnaba, and the Tamnine plain, on Friday, Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television network reported.

The casualty figures were described as “non-final.”

According to the network, the aggression involved both airstrikes by warplanes and missiles launched from naval vessels.

Footage circulated online showed the aftermath of the strikes across several areas in Bekaa. One strike hit the Tamnine plain, while another targeted an area near Qsarnaba town.

Earlier on Friday, an Israeli strike targeted the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in the southern city of Saida, killing two people and wounding several others.

The attacks came amid continued Israeli violations of the November 27, 2024 ceasefire agreement between the Israeli regime and Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 of 2006, which calls for respect for Lebanese sovereignty and cessation of aggression by Tel Aviv.

Hamas condemns strike on refugee camp

Reacting to the strike on the camp, Gaza’s Hamas resistance movement condemned the “brutal aggression carried out by the Zionist occupation army,” calling the bloodshed “a new crime added to the series of continuous attacks against our Palestinian people and a violation of the sovereignty of fraternal Lebanon.”

“The targeting of a camp that houses thousands of Palestinian refugees and is densely populated with civilians represents a dangerous escalation and a flagrant disregard for all international laws and norms; it reflects the insistence of the occupation government on expanding the circle of its aggression and destabilizing security and stability in the region.”

On Thursday, Israeli occupation forces carried out multiple attacks across southern and eastern Lebanon.

In southern Lebanon, Israeli artillery fired seven shells towards the outskirts of Yaroun. An Israeli tank also targeted an uninhabited house with two shells in the al-Zuqaq area on the outskirts of Aitaroun.

Israeli units opened machinegun fire towards the Khiam plain from the newly established Israeli position at Hamamis, followed by additional artillery shelling. Earlier, an Israeli drone had dropped a stun grenade on the border town of Odaisseh.

In eastern Lebanon, Israeli warplanes carried out an airstrike on the al-Shaara hill near the town of Nabi Sheet in the Bekaa region. No immediate information was available regarding casualties or material damage.

Positions retained beyond withdrawal deadline

Following the November 27, 2024 ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces retained five elevated positions inside southern Lebanon beyond a February 18, 2025 withdrawal deadline.

On February 17, one day before the deadline, the regime announced it would pull back from most Lebanese territory, but maintain troops at five “strategic points."

The positions stretch from the western sector opposite Naqoura and Labbouneh to the eastern edge near Kfar Kila and al-Wazzani. During early 2025, earthworks, fortified berms, surveillance systems, and access roads were expanded.

Despite objections from the Lebanese government and concerns raised by the UN forces based in Lebanon, the regime has described the deployments as temporary “security measures,” while Lebanese officials say the continued presence violates the ceasefire terms and Lebanese sovereignty.

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