(MENAFN) At least 13 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon, southern Lebanon, late Tuesday, according to the Health Ministry. Several others were reportedly injured in the attack, which struck a center inside the camp, though the exact number of wounded was not specified.

State media reported that three missiles hit the facility, and a large number of injured were admitted to local hospitals amid calls for blood donations to aid the victims.

The Israeli military said the strike targeted Hamas members allegedly using the center to plan attacks against Israel. Hamas condemned the airstrike as a “brutal assault” on civilians and a breach of Lebanon’s sovereignty. The group denied the claims, stating that the strike had hit a group of teenagers on an open sports field rather than a planning site.

In response to the attack, Palestinian factions in Sidon declared a general strike in mourning, noting that it occurred “hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to continue the war on all fronts.”

Earlier the same day, two people were killed in Israeli drone strikes in Bint Jbeil and Blida, southern Lebanon. In October 2024, a similar airstrike on Ain al-Hilweh killed six people, including three children. Tensions have escalated in southern Lebanon in recent weeks, with Israel carrying out near-daily air raids, reportedly targeting Hezbollah personnel and infrastructure.

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