Monday, February 23, 2026-Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley have killed at least 10 people and wounded dozens more in one of the deadliest incidents in the area in recent weeks. Lebanese health officials reported the deaths and injuries as emergency crews worked amid the rubble of damaged buildings, while the Israeli military confirmed that it targeted Hezbollah command centres in the Baalbek region.
Senior members of Hezbollah, including a local commander, were reported among those killed in the strikes, highlighting the high stakes of the cross‑border tensions.
The strikes come amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, brokered by the United States in 2024 but strained by repeated accusations of violations on both sides.
Lebanese authorities also reported that earlier Israeli actions hit the Ain al‑Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, killing additional people, as Israel said it was targeting what it described as a Hamas command centre — a claim disputed by local factions. The violence underlines how quickly low‑level hostilities can escalate, even with formal understandings in place.
Political and militant leaders in Lebanon have condemned the strikes as violations of sovereignty and have warned that further escalation could draw the country deeper into conflict.
Hezbollah figures have vowed continued “resistance” against what they describe as aggression, raising fears that the cycle of retaliation could broaden into wider violence along the Israel‑Lebanon frontier. The aftermath of these latest strikes underscores enduring instability in the region and the risks that localized incidents can spiral into larger confrontations.
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