Explosions were reported Monday afternoon in the al-Bekaa region near Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, attributed to Israeli airstrikes, according to Lebanese media. The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen network said that “three Israeli airstrikes” had been carried out in the area. Other local reports were less definitive, suggesting the blasts may have been the result of the detonation of leftover munitions rather than direct strikes.
The Lebanese news agency UniNews published two videos reportedly showing airstrikes near the village of Britel, located near the Syria-Lebanon border in the Baalbek district.
Attacks on the village of Britel in the Baalbek area
On Thursday, about an hour after IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee issued an evacuation warning to residents of the southern Lebanese village of Toul, the targeted building was struck, with plumes of smoke seen rising from the site. Following the strike in Toul, further attacks were reported across various parts of Lebanon, including west of Baalbek, in Tyre, and in several southern villages.
The IDF later confirmed the operation, saying fighter jets targeted a “military site containing rocket launchers and weapons” in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, where Hezbollah activity had been identified. “In addition, Hezbollah terror infrastructure, rocket and missile launchers were targeted in southern Lebanon,” the military said. “The presence of these weapons and Hezbollah operatives at the site represents a flagrant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
Earlier, Lebanese outlets reported the death of a Hezbollah operative in an Israeli strike on the village of Rab a-Thalathin in southern Lebanon. A media outlet affiliated with the group identified the casualty as Haidar Mohammed Faqih. Hours later, the IDF confirmed responsibility for the strike, stating that a drone had eliminated a Hezbollah Radwan unit operative in the village.
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In the evacuation notice issued by Lt. Col. Adraee, he warned: “This alert applies especially to those inside the building and nearby structures. You are adjacent to facilities belonging to the terrorist organization Hezbollah. For your safety and that of your families, you must immediately evacuate these buildings and move at least 500 meters away, as indicated on the map.”