Israeli airstrike on Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon kills 13, government officials say

An Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon on Tuesday killed 13 people and wounded several others, government officials said, making it the deadliest strike on Lebanon since the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal was signed in November last year.

A drone struck a car parked at the mosque in Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp on the outskirts of the coastal city of Sidon in northern Lebanon, state media reported.

The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas training compound in the area that was being used to prepare an attack against Israel and its army, a claim Hamas denies as "fabrication and lies".

Hamas condemned the attack and said the strike struck a sports playground instead, rather than a training compound.

What about the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire?

Israel currently holds five posts in Lebanon, mostly striking militant group Hezbollah, but also, as in this case, Hamas militants.

As of part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel was required to fully withdraw from Lebanon in return for Hezbollah to cease hostilities in southern Lebanon.

Israel has not done so, and continues to carry out near-daily airstrikes claiming Hezbollah is trying to rebuild its capabilities.

While Hezbollah has become significantly weakened in the past year, the group remains armed. The group's chief Naim Qassem has previously said Hezbollah would not disarm if Israel continued its attacks.

According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, over 270 people have been killed and roughly 850 wounded by Israeli military actions since the ceasefire.

This latest attack on the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp marks the deadliest attack on Lebanon since the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect last year.

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah started shortly after Israel launched its offensive in Gaza, which was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023. In what the group said was an act in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, Hezbollah began firing rockets towards Israeli posts along its border. Israel, in exchange, responded with shelling and airstrikes in Lebanon.

Late in November 2024, after almost two months of intensive fighting, the US-brokered ceasefire deal came into effect.