(MENAFN) Lebanon’s health ministry says an Israeli strike near the Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in the south has killed at least 13 people and injured several others. The Israeli military stated it targeted Hamas members “operating in a training compound… in the Ein el-Hilweh area,” claiming the site was used to plan and conduct attacks on Israel. Hamas dismissed the accusation as “fabrication and lies.”

Israel has continued carrying out strikes in Lebanon despite a deal to end its conflict with Hezbollah, primarily targeting the Iran-backed group but also hitting Hamas positions. Images from Ein el-Hilweh showed emergency workers at the camp entrance, while videos captured ambulances navigating the crowded streets as thick smoke rose from the strike location. Early reports said the strike hit an area near a mosque typically crowded at night.

Hamas condemned the attack, insisting it had “no military installations in the Palestinian camps in Lebanon” and that Israel struck an “open sports field.” The Israeli military said it took steps to reduce civilian casualties with precision munitions, surveillance and intelligence.

The incident comes amid ongoing regional tensions that have escalated since Hamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, triggering Israel’s large-scale military operations in Gaza.

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensified shortly afterward, leading to more than a year of conflict that included Israeli airstrikes and a ground assault in southern Lebanon in 2024. Lebanese authorities say thousands were killed and more than a million displaced during the hostilities, while Israel reported dozens of military and civilian fatalities.

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