Heavily damaged buildings in the village of Bednayel, in the Bekaa, on Feb. 21, 2026, the day after Israeli strikes. (Credit: AFP) A bulldozer clears debris near heavily-damaged buildings in the village of Bednayel in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley region on February 21, 2026, following Israeli strikes. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun on February 21 condemned Israel's deadly attacks on his country a day prior, as a Hezbollah lawmaker called on Beirut to suspend meetings with a committee monitoring a yearlong ceasefire with Israel. (Photo by AFP)
President Joseph Aoun on Saturday condemned the deadly Israeli attacks carried out the previous night in the Bekaa and Saida, saying they demonstrate Israel’s intention to sabotage diplomatic efforts aimed at ending cease-fire violations.
On Friday evening, Israeli aircraft launched six strikes on the Bekaa within minutes, killing 10 people and wounding 24, according to the Health Ministry. Citing a Hezbollah official, AFP reported that eight members of the Shiite party were killed. Earlier in the day, the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp was targeted in an Israeli drone strike that killed two people.
In a statement, Aoun said that ‘’the continuation of these aggressions constitutes a hostile act aimed at sabotaging the diplomatic efforts and initiatives undertaken by Lebanon and its allies, primarily the United States, to consolidate stability and end Israeli hostilities against Lebanon.’’ He added that ‘’these strikes represent a new violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a flagrant breach of international commitments, reflecting contempt for the will of the international community, particularly United Nations resolutions calling for respect for Resolution 1701 and its full implementation.’’
The head of state also renewed his call on countries guaranteeing stability in the region to ‘’assume their responsibilities to immediately put an end to the aggression and exert pressure to ensure respect for international resolutions, in order to preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and prevent further escalation.’’
Jamaa Islamiya also condemned in a statement what it described as ‘’Zionist aggression against the Ain al-Hilweh camp, which left civilian casualties,’’ saying it forms part of the ‘’ongoing crimes against Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank.’’
’’Targeting civilians in their homes and in densely populated areas constitutes a dangerous escalation,’’ the movement said. It called on the government to ‘’put pressure’’ on Israel to ‘’respect the agreement’’ and urged authorities to ‘’ensure the protection of Lebanese citizens and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.’’
Despite the cease-fire reached in November 2024, Israel continues to carry out near-daily strikes, particularly in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa. Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army is pursuing its plan to disarm militias, chiefly Hezbollah.
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