ADDS MORE DETAILS
By Naim Berjawi and Rania Abu Shamala
BEIRUT/ISTANBUL (AA) – At least 13 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in the city of Sidon in southern Lebanon, the Health Ministry said late Tuesday.
In a statement, the ministry said that several others were injured in the attack that targeted a center inside the camp, without specifying the exact number.
According to the state news agency NNA, three missiles were fired into the center.
The outlet said a large number of injured people were admitted to hospitals in Sidon following the attack, amid calls for residents to donate blood for victims.
The Israeli army claimed that the attack targeted Hamas members inside the center. It alleged that the targeted facility was being used to plot attacks against Israel.
Hamas, for its part, decried the attack as a “brutal assault” on civilians and a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.
A statement by the group denied Israeli claims that the center was being used to plot attacks, saying that the strike targeted a group of teenagers on an open sports field.
Meanwhile, Palestinian factions in Sidon declared a general strike in mourning for the victims
“This attack came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to continue the war on all fronts,” they said in a statement.
The attack came hours after two people were killed in Israeli drone strikes in Bint Jbeil and Blida in southern Lebanon on Tuesday.
The Israeli army launched a similar strike on Ain al-Hilweh camp in October 2024, leaving six people dead, including three children.
Tensions have been mounting in southern Lebanon for weeks, with the Israeli army intensifying near-daily air raids inside Lebanese territory, allegedly targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure.
The Israeli army has killed more than 4,000 people and injured nearly 17,000 in its attacks on Lebanon, which began in October 2023 and turned into a full-scale offensive in September 2024.
Under a ceasefire declared in November 2024, the Israeli army was supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon this January, but instead only partially pulled out and continues to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.