Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Saturday, February 21, condemned the Israeli bombings carried out the previous day, which left 12 dead, denouncing "a blatant aggression aimed at undermining the diplomatic efforts" undertaken by Lebanon and "friendly countries" in favor of stability.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, ten people were killed in the eastern Bekaa Valley and two others in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in the south of the country. The strikes occurred despite the announcement of a ceasefire.
The Israeli army claimed to have targeted "command centers" of Hezbollah and the Palestinian movement Hamas. A Hezbollah official quoted by Agence France-Presse indicated that eight members of the pro-Iranian movement were among the victims.
Since the ceasefire came into effect, Israeli raids have continued regularly. The Israeli army claims it is acting to prevent Hezbollah from rearming and is also targeting positions linked to Hamas. According to an AFP tally based on official Lebanese data, more than 370 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli strikes since the truce was announced.
Hezbollah MP Rami Abu Hamdan stated that his movement "will not accept the authorities acting as mere political analysts" in the face of the strikes, calling on the government to suspend meetings of the ceasefire monitoring committee, which includes the United States, France, Lebanon, Israel, and the UN, until Israeli attacks cease. A meeting of this committee is scheduled for next week.
Earlier this week, the Lebanese government announced that the army would have a renewable four-month period to implement the second phase of a disarmament plan for Hezbollah, weakened after a year of conflict with Israel ending in November 2024. Israeli authorities, however, believe that the progress made remains insufficient.
