Beirut, Lebanon – On Thursday, the Israeli army launched a series of what were described as “intense” airstrikes on the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon. These strikes targeted sites around Baalbek, amid escalating tensions on the northern border.
Targeting sites in Baalbek and the Bekaa highlands
The airstrikes focused on the outskirts of the town of Shamshtar and the heights of Buday and Harba in the Baalbek region. Videos circulating online showed plumes of thick smoke rising from mountainous areas and the outskirts of several towns as a result of successive strikes.
Local residents described the bombardment as a “ring of fire” carried out in two waves. It also targeted a wide geographical area in the Bekaa Valley.
Israel: 8 camps belonging to the Radwan Force were struck
The Israeli military announced that it targeted Hezbollah military infrastructure, specifically sites linked to the Radwan Force in the Baalbek region.
In a subsequent statement, it explained that it had attacked eight military camps used for storing weapons and training Radwan Force members. It indicated that these sites contained large quantities of weapons and missiles and were also used for planning and executing operations against Israeli forces and civilians.
Intense military aircraft activity
For its part, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that the intense airstrikes that rocked the Bekaa Valley were followed by heavy and continuous Israeli warplane activity in the region’s airspace.
These developments come amid escalating security tensions along the Lebanese-Israeli border. There are also growing fears that the confrontations could widen if the exchange of fire between the two sides continues.
