Israeli strikes kill at least 10 in Lebanon, officials say

At least 10 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes on eastern Lebanon, Lebanese officials say.

Israel's military said it targeted sites belonging to Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed military and political group, in the Bekaa Valley, an area where the group has a strong presence.

Hezbollah confirmed that at least six of its members had been killed, including a senior field commander.

The strikes are among the deadliest in Lebanon since a ceasefire ended the war between Israel and the Shia Muslim group Hezbollah in November 2024.

Israel said they came after "a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon".

Under the first phase of the ceasefire, which was brokered by the US and France, both Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters were required to leave southern Lebanon.

Images posted online from one of the locations hit on Friday night showed heavy damage in what appeared to be a residential neighbourhood.

In a statement, the Israeli military said it had struck "Hezbollah command centres" and that Hezbollah "systematically embeds its assets within the civilian population".

Hezbollah, considered a terrorist organisation by countries including the UK and the US, says the ceasefire deal only applies to southern Lebanon, in the area between the Litani river and the Blue Line, the unofficial border between Lebanon and Israel.

The group, however, has so far rejected calls from Lebanese authorities to discuss the future of its weapons elsewhere in the country, including in the Bekaa Valley, where part of its arsenal is believed to be located.

This week, Hezbollah dismissed a decision by the government to advance the second phase of the disarmament plan in areas between north of the Litani and the Awali river, in the port city of Sidon.

Lebanon's government said Israel's ongoing actions were a violation of the ceasefire deal and urged the international community to put pressure on Israel to stop its attacks.

The Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam recently said the situation had become a "one-sided war of attrition".

The Bekaa attack came hours after an Israeli strike on a densely-populated Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon.

In a statement shared on X, the Israeli army said it had struck a "command centre" used by Hamas in the Ain al-Helweh area, on the outskirts of the port city of Sidon. Hamas said two of its members were killed.

The strikes come amid heightened tensions in the region, with the United States threatening to attack Iran if negotiations between the two countries fail to reach a deal.

There are concerns in Lebanon that Iran might force Hezbollah to join its response to an attack if Israel becomes involved.