At least 13 people have died after an Israeli airstrike targeted an area near the Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese health ministry confirmed. At least four others were injured in the attack.
The Israeli military said the strike targeted members of the Palestinian armed group Hamas, claiming they were operating from a “training compound” in the camp used to plan attacks against Israel. Hamas rejected the claims, calling them “fabrication and lies”, and stated that the area hit was an open sports field with no military installations.
Footage from the scene showed ambulances rushing through narrow streets and a large plume of smoke rising from the strike site. Early reports indicated the strike hit an area outside a mosque, a location typically busy at night.
Israel has conducted periodic strikes in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, as well as Hamas operatives, following the October 7, 2023 attacks from Gaza, when Hamas killed around 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages. Israel’s response has reportedly killed over 69,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Hamas-run health authorities.
The conflict escalated after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli positions in support of Palestinians in Gaza, leading to a 13-month conflict that ended with an Israeli bombing campaign and ground incursion into southern Lebanon in October 2024. Lebanese authorities estimate that the hostilities killed around 4,000 people, displaced over 1.2 million residents, and caused significant civilian casualties.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said measures were taken prior to the strike to minimise civilian harm, including precision munitions and aerial surveillance.
Tensions remain high in southern Lebanon as the strike underscores ongoing Israeli-Palestinian and regional hostilities in the area.
