Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon kill 8 Hezbollah members, authorities say

Lebanon — Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon killed eight members of the militant group Hezbollah , including several local officials, said Saturday two officials from the group.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health estimated the number of deaths at 10, but did not distinguish between militants and civilians. Hezbollah officials told The Associated Press that the eight militants were killed in attacks near the village of Rayak, in northeastern Lebanon, on Friday night. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal details to the media. A team from The Associated Press that visited the site of the attack on Saturday morning saw that the top floor of a three-story building was destroyed. The Israeli army said on Saturday that several members of Hezbollah's missile unit, in three different command centers in the Baalbek area in Lebanon, were "eliminated".

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The Israeli army added that the Hezbollah members killed were identified "as operatives to accelerate the processes of preparation and accumulation of forces, while planning fire attacks towards Israel." One of Hezbollah's officials said that three of the dead were local commanders and identified them as Ali al-Moussawi, Mohammed al-Moussawi, and Hussein Yaghi. Yaghi was the son of a prominent Hezbollah official and one of its founders, Mohammed Yaghi, who died in 2023. Mohammed Yaghi was also a close collaborator of the late Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who died in an Israeli airstrike in September 2024. The Lebanese Health Ministry said on Saturday that Israeli attacks in eastern Lebanon killed 10 people and wounded 24, including three children. Ali Abdullah, CEO of Rayak Hospital, told AP that the attack occurred after sunset, adding that 10 bodies and 21 injured had been found. He added that among the dead were two foreigners: a Syrian man and an Ethiopian woman. Among the injured were five Syrians and three Ethiopians. Ethiopians often arrive in Lebanon as migrant domestic workers. On Saturday afternoon, a funeral was held in the eastern town of Nabi Chit for two Hezbollah members who died in the attacks. After the attack led by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza, Hezbollah began firing rockets from Lebanon towards Israel in support of Hamas and the Palestinians. Israel responded with airstrikes and bombings. The conflict, although mild, escalated into a large-scale war in September 2024, which was subsequently controlled, though not completely stopped, by a ceasefire mediated by the United States two months later.

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Since then, Israel has accused Hezbollah of trying to rebuild itself and has carried out almost daily attacks in Lebanon, claiming they target Hezbollah militants and facilities. Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for an attack against Israel since the ceasefire. The number of deaths from Friday's attacks was unusually high and occurs at a time of intensified tensions in the region, as the United States has threatened to attack Iran, a sponsor of both Hezbollah and Hamas, if negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program do not produce an agreement.