ALBAWABA - According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday killed at least thirteen people and injured dozens more in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in the city of Sidon, causing a significant escalation in South Lebanon.
According to reports, the strike is the bloodiest Israeli assault on Lebanon since the ceasefire went into effect almost a year ago. Two Lebanese army soldiers were also injured, according to preliminary reports, and taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
According to Lebanon's National News Agency, the Israeli drone that carried out the attack targeted a vehicle in the camp's Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque parking lot. Residents rushed for safety as gunfire erupted from inside the camp shortly after the explosion.
Targeting what it described as "terrorist elements" operating inside a Hamas training compound in Ain al-Hilweh, the Israeli army claimed responsibility for the strike. According to Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee, those killed were planning attacks on Israel.
Although there has been no official confirmation, early reports among local activists indicated that senior Fatah commander Munir al-Maqdah may have been killed in the strike.
The assault on Ain al-Hilweh coincides with a wider uptick in violence in southern Lebanon, where Israeli airstrikes earlier in the day killed at least two additional people.
