"What happened in Bekaa yesterday was a new act of massacre and aggression. Do we have any choice but to resist to protect ourselves and our country?", Mahmud Qamati, a Hezbollah official in Lebanon, said on 21/2.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) earlier announced strikes against several members of Hezbollah's missile force at three command centers in the Baalbek area, located in the Bekaa valley in eastern Lebanon. The IDF also stated it attacked targets linked to Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, in southern Lebanon.
Lebanon's Ministry of Health reported 10 fatalities in the east, adding that two people died after the largest Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon was targeted. The AFP news agency quoted an unnamed Hezbollah official saying that 8 members of the group were killed by Israel while attending a meeting in the Bekaa valley.
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A funeral for Hezbollah members in Baalbek, Lebanon on 21/2. Photo: AFP |
A large-scale funeral for commander Hussein Mohammad Yaghi and another Hezbollah member, attended by hundreds of the group's supporters, was held in Baalbek on 21/2.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the attacks as "blatant acts of aggression aimed at undermining diplomatic efforts" by the United States and other nations.
The United States is one of five members of a multinational committee tasked with overseeing a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. This body is scheduled to meet next week. Hezbollah MP Rami Abu Hamdan called for the committee to halt its meetings until Israel ceases its attacks.
Israel has continued to regularly strike Lebanon despite a ceasefire reached with Hezbollah in 11/2024. Tel Aviv primarily claims to target the armed group, but sometimes also announces strikes against Hamas forces.
The attack on 20/2 occurred days after the Lebanese government announced it would begin phase two of a plan to disarm the Hezbollah armed group in the country's south. Beirut last year pledged to disarm the group and last month declared the completion of phase one of the plan.
Israel accuses Hezbollah of seeking to rearm after the ceasefire was reached, and also claims that the Lebanese army is delaying efforts to disarm the armed group.
Pham Giang (According to AFP)
