Israeli airstrikes killed 12 people Tuesday in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, Lebanese authorities said, as Israel’s military confirmed strikes on Hezbollah targets despite a standing ceasefire.
The Israeli military said it targeted sites used by Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force in its latest assault on Lebanese territory.
A military statement said Israeli fighter jets launched “numerous strikes” on “Hezbollah terror targets in the area of Bekaa.” It added that the targets included training facilities used to “plan and carry out terrorist attacks against (Israeli) troops and the State of Israel.”
The Lebanese Health Ministry confirmed that “Israeli airstrikes on the Bekaa and Baalbek-Hermel governorates today resulted in the deaths of 12 people and the wounding of 12 others.” All fatalities were reported in a single strike on the Wadi Fara area in the Baalbek district, including seven Syrians and five Lebanese nationals, according to the ministry.
The state-run National News Agency earlier reported that the strike “targeted a camp for displaced Syrians.”
Hezbollah condemned the attacks, calling them “a major escalation in the context of the ongoing aggression against Lebanon and its people.” The group called on Lebanese authorities to “take serious, immediate and decisive action” to uphold the ceasefire agreement.
Despite a ceasefire brokered in November to end more than a year of hostilities, including two months of heavy fighting, Israel has continued to launch strikes in Lebanon, saying it is acting in response to Hezbollah’s ongoing military activities.
The Israeli military said that since “eliminated” Radwan force commanders in September, “the unit has been operating to reestablish its capabilities.” It added that storing weapons and conducting “activities” at the targeted sites represented “a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and constitute a future threat to the State of Israel.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz defended the attacks, saying they sent “a clear message” to Hezbollah and the Lebanese government “which is responsible for upholding the agreement.”
“We will strike every terrorist and thwart any threat to the residents of the north and to the State of Israel,” Katz said in a statement referring to Israel’s northern border.
He also vowed to “respond with maximum force against any attempt at rebuilding” Hezbollah’s military strength.
Under the terms of the November ceasefire deal, Hezbollah was required to withdraw its fighters north of the Litani River — about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border — leaving the area under the control of the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers. Israel, in turn, was to withdraw its troops from Lebanese territory, but has maintained a presence in five locations it considers strategically vital.