Israel launches airstrikes across Lebanon, targeting villages, refugee camp
Israel launches airstrikes across Lebanon, targeting villages, refugee camp
M.U.H
06/01/202638
Israel has carried out a series of air attacks across southern and eastern Lebanon, continuing to violate a ceasefire that was meant to halt the Israeli aggression on the Arab country's sovereignty.
Israeli forces launched separate attacks on the towns of al-Manara in the Bekaa region and Jezzine district in southern Lebanon on Monday.
The raids followed Israeli warnings that prompted dozens of families to leave targeted villages amid increased drone activity.
According to the Israeli military, the strikes focused on what it claimed were Hezbollah and Hamas sites.
An army spokesperson said earlier that air operations were planned against “military infrastructure” in the villages of Hammara and Ain el-Tineh in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, as well as Kfar Hatta and Annan in southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera quoted a Hamas source as saying that the occupation authorities are fabricating false pretexts to justify their ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and in Lebanon.
The source added that Israeli claims about the presence of resistance infrastructure in Lebanon are baseless and are being used as a pretext to legitimize continued attacks.
Local sources reported hearing explosions near the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp, close to the city of Sidon in southern Lebanon, following an Israeli air attack on the area.
Israeli forces carried out two airstrikes on the Ain al-Hilweh camp. Explosions from the attacks were heard in the surrounding areas.
No further details have yet been released regarding possible casualties or damage, and local and military sources said assessments are ongoing.
Ain al-Hilweh, located near Sidon, is the largest refugee camp in Lebanon. According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), it is the largest of the 12 Palestinian refugee camps in the country and is home to about 80,000 people, out of approximately 250,000 Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon.
On Monday, a drone attack on a car in the southern village of Braikeh injured two people, Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported.
The incident comes a day after an Israeli strike hit a vehicle in the Ayn al-Mizrab area, north of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, killing two people.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Tuesday that continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon are intended to undermine domestic, regional and international efforts to ease tensions, as violations persist ahead of a planned ceasefire monitoring meeting.
Speaking ahead of a session of the ceasefire oversight committee, known as the “Mechanism Committee,” Aoun said the timing of the Israeli strikes raises serious questions about Israel’s intentions.
“The continuation of Israeli aggression aims to thwart all internal, regional and international efforts to stop the escalation,” Aoun said, according to Lebanon-based broadcaster Al Mayadeen.
He said Lebanon has cooperated with initiatives aimed at reducing tensions “at all levels,” but that Israeli attacks have continued regardless.
Aoun again called on the international community to intervene more effectively to halt the strikes and to ensure the proper functioning of the Mechanism Committee so it can carry out its mandate with the agreement of the relevant parties and with international backing.
Security conditions in southern Lebanon remain fragile, with repeated airspace violations and intermittent attacks heightening concerns about a broader escalation.
Sources previously said the next meeting of the ceasefire monitoring committee is scheduled for Jan. 7. The previous session was held on Dec. 3 with the participation of a US envoy, a Lebanese military technical delegation, representatives from France and the US, an Israeli delegation, and United Nations peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL) at Ras al-Naqoura near the Lebanese border.
Israel has carried out thousands of attacks in violation of the ceasefire agreement issued on November 27, 2024, as well as UN Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces were expected to withdraw from southern Lebanon by January 2025, but the regime has refused to pull out its forces.
