Israeli warplanes struck multiple sites in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley on Tuesday, killing 12 people — among them five Hezbollah fighters and seven Syrian farm labourers — in the deadliest raid since last November’s U.S.-brokered truce, Lebanese security officials said.
The Israel Defense Forces said the sorties hit “elite Radwan training camps and weapons depots” used by the Iran-backed group, calling the operation a warning against efforts to rebuild cross-border assault units. Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed to respond “with maximum force to any attempt at rearmament” and reminded Beirut it bears responsibility for enforcing the cease-fire.
Hezbollah and the Lebanese government issued no immediate comment. The Bekaa valley had seen limited fire since the truce that halted months of clashes linked to Israel’s war in Gaza.
Washington has meanwhile floated a proposal to compel Hezbollah to disarm within four months in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from remaining positions in south Lebanon and an end to airstrikes. Under the cease-fire terms, Lebanese troops are tasked with seizing all unauthorised weapons south of the Litani River.
