A view of the city of Baalbek in 2024. Reuters
A view of the city of Baalbek in 2024. Reuters
A view of the city of Baalbek in 2024. Reuters
A view of the city of Baalbek in 2024. Reuters

At least 6 killed and 25 wounded in Israeli strikes on eastern Lebanon


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At least six people ​were ​killed and 25 ​wounded in Israeli strikes ⁠in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley ⁠on Friday, the Lebanese state news ​agency reported, after the Israeli military said it ⁠had targeted Hezbollah sites in the Baalbek area.

The strikes are among the deadliest reported in eastern Lebanon in ⁠recent weeks and risk testing a fragile ​US-brokered ceasefire ⁠between Israel ‌and Hezbollah, which has been strained by recurring ​accusations of violations. The Israeli military said in a statement that it struck Hezbollah command centres in the Baalbek area, part of eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire in 2024 intended to end more than a year of cross-border fire that culminated in Israeli strikes that weakened the Iran-aligned group. Since then, the sides ​have traded accusations of ceasefire ‌violations.

US and Israeli ⁠officials have pressed Lebanese ​authorities to curb Hezbollah's arsenal, while Lebanese ​leaders ‌have warned that broader Israeli strikes could further ⁠destabilise the country already battered by political and economic ⁠crises.

Separately, the Israeli military said it also struck what it described as a Hamas command centre from which militants operated in the Ain ​Al Hilweh area in southern Lebanon. Ain Al Hilweh is a crowded Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon.

Updated: February 20, 2026, 9:37 PM