Israeli strikes kill thirteen in Lebanon's Saida

Shafaq News - Saida (Updated on Nov. 19, at 00:39)

On Tuesday, Israel struck Ain al-Hilwa, a Palestinian refugee camp in the southern Lebanese city of Saida, killing at least thirteen people and injuring others, the country's Health Ministry reported.

Local assessments indicated that the munitions were fired from warplanes using precision missiles typically employed in targeted assassinations.

Israel's military spokesperson Avichay Adraee later claimed that the attack targeted a Hamas training compound, where militants were preparing to carry out "terrorist operations."

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said humanitarian considerations no longer apply to Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, holding the Lebanese government responsible for what he described as “terrorist camps inside areas classified as refugee camps.” He added that Israeli forces had been given orders “to neutralize them.”

Hamas firmly rejected Israeli assertions that the strike hit one of its training sites, saying the location was an open sports field regularly used by youths from the refugee camp.

In a statement, the movement said those killed or injured were teenagers who happened to be on the field at the time of the strike. “No military facilities in the refugees’ camps in Lebanon,” Hamas affirmed, describing the strikes as a brutal assault on the defenseless Palestinian people and on Lebanese sovereignty.

According to Lebanese authorities, Israel has carried out 5,298 violations between the ceasefire that took effect on 27 November 2024 and 17 November 2025, including 2,940 air violations, 2,189 ground violations, and 169 naval violations. During the same period, officials reported 321 people killed and 619 wounded across southern and eastern Lebanon.