Buildings reduced to rubble in a recent Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese village of Qannarit. File photograph: Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty ImagesAt 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 Hizbullah sites in the Baalbek area. The ‌Israeli ‌military ​said in a statement that it struck Hizbullah command centres in the Baalbek ⁠area, part of ​eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Israel and Hizbullah 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. US and Israeli officials have pressed Lebanese authorities to curb Hizbullah’s arsenal, while Lebanese leaders have warned that broader Israeli strikes could further destabilise the country, which is already ‌battered by political ⁠and economic crises.

Source: The Irish Times February 21, 2026 00:09 UTC