Israeli airstrikes targeted Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley and the Ain al-Hilweh camp on Friday, killing more than 12 people in what appears to be a significant escalation in the ongoing confrontation along the Israel–Lebanon front.
Hussein Mohammad Yaghi © LNP
Israeli airstrikes targeted Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley and the Ain al-Hilweh camp on Friday, killing more than 12 people in what appears to be a significant escalation in the ongoing confrontation along the Israel–Lebanon front.
In the Baalbek region, the dead included Hezbollah commander Hussein Mohammad Yaghi, son of Mohammad Hassan Yaghi, widely known as “Abu Salim.”
Abu Salim was one of Hezbollah’s founding members in 1982 and later served as executive assistant to Hassan Nasrallah, the group’s former leader who was killed in September 2024. He had also held a seat in the Lebanese Parliament, reflecting his influence within both the political and military spheres of the organization.
Ali Zeid Moussaoui, another Hezbollah member, was also reported killed in the strikes.
The Bekaa Valley has long been considered a strategic stronghold for Hezbollah, making it a frequent target during periods of heightened hostilities. The strike on Ain al-Hilweh, one of Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camps, further underscores the widening scope of the confrontation.
There was no immediate official comment from Israeli authorities. However, the targeting of figures linked to Hezbollah’s leadership suggests a deliberate effort to weaken the group’s operational structure amid rising regional tensions.
Israel said two of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon on Wednesday while Lebanese authorities said Israeli retaliatory attacks killed at least one person, a flare-up in violence that coincided with the latest round of talks between the two countries.
The Israeli military said it had begun targeted strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday in response to a "Hezbollah violation", a day after the latest round of U.S.-facilitated talks between Israel and Lebanon took place in Rome.
A proposed deal between Iran and Oman would give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told Reuters on Wednesday, in one of the biggest concessions yet to Iran.
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