Major Israeli air strike targets Hezbollah and Hamas positions in Lebanon

Sidon (The Uttam Hindu): Israel’s air force carried out multiple air strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon late Monday night and early Tuesday morning. Among the targeted locations was Sidon, Lebanon’s third-largest city. Around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, a strike completely destroyed a three-storey commercial building in the southern coastal area of Sidon.

The Israeli military stated that the locations hit in southern and eastern Lebanon were linked to infrastructure used by Hezbollah and Hamas. Nearly two hours before the attacks, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued a warning on social media platform X, saying the army would target Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas positions in two villages in the eastern Bekaa Valley and two villages in southern Lebanon.

According to a photographer present at the site, the area was primarily used for commercial activities, including workshops and mechanic shops. The building that was struck was reportedly empty at the time of the attack. After the strike, at least one person was taken to hospital by ambulance, while rescue teams searched the rubble for others. No deaths have been confirmed so far.

The strikes come just days before Lebanon’s army chief is expected to brief the government on efforts related to the disarmament of Hezbollah along the border with Israel.

Hamas commander’s house targeted

Lebanon’s state news agency reported that a house hit in the village of Manara in the Bekaa Valley belonged to Hamas military commander Sharhabil al-Sayyed. Al-Sayyed was killed in an Israeli drone strike in May 2024. Following Israeli warnings, the targeted areas had already been evacuated, which is why no casualties were reported in these attacks.

Earlier on Monday, Lebanon’s health ministry said that two people were injured in a drone strike on a car in the southern village of Braikeh. The Israeli army claimed that the attack targeted two Hezbollah members.