TEL AVIV
Israeli air strikes have killed at least 10 people in eastern Lebanon, Lebanese officials say, despite a ceasefire.Israel’s military said it had targeted sites belonging to Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim militia and political party, in the Bekaa Valley, an area where the group has a strong presence.
Hezbollah confirmed that at least eight of its members had been killed, including a senior field commander. The strikes were among the deadliest in Lebanon since a ceasefire ended the war between Israel and Hezbollah in November 2024.
Despite the deal, which followed 13 months of conflict, Israel has carried out near-daily strikes on Lebanon, on targets it says are linked to the group, which is supported by Iran. Images posted online from one of the locations hit on Friday night showed heavy damage in what appeared to be a residential neighbourhood.
In a statement, the Israeli military said it had struck what it described as Hezbollah command centres and that the group “systematically embeds its assets within the civilian population”. It said the group’s activities were “a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon”.
In a separate statement on Saturday, the military said it had “eliminated several terrorists of Hezbollah’s missile array in three different command centres… recently identified as operating to accelerate the organisation’s readiness and force build-up processes, while planning fire attacks towards Israel”.
Hezbollah, considered a terrorist organisation by countries including the UK and the US, says the ceasefire deal only applies to southern Lebanon, in the area between the Litani river and the Blue Line, the unofficial border between Lebanon and Israel.
