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

The attack marks the deadliest strike on Lebanon since a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect last year.

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?In response to Israel's war on Gaza, triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023, 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, a US-brokered ceasefire deal came into effect.The agreement required Hezbollah to immediately cease hostilities in southern Lebanon and required Israel to fully withdraw from Lebanon.However, Israel currently occupies five posts in Lebanon and has continued 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.