Hezbollah Bleeds in the East… Lebanon’s President Calls for an End to Strikes

Hezbollah’s losses in Lebanon continue, with eight of its members, including a senior figure, killed, while President Joseph Aoun condemned the ongoing Israeli airstrikes.

On Saturday, a source within the party told Agence France-Presse that Israeli strikes in eastern Lebanon had resulted in the deaths of eight Hezbollah members.

The Israeli army, for its part, stated that it had targeted Hezbollah positions in the Baalbek area of the Bekaa Valley.

Aoun Responds

Commenting on the developments, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Saturday condemned the deadly Israeli strikes that targeted eastern and southern parts of the country on Friday. Meanwhile, a Hezbollah lawmaker called for suspending meetings of the ceasefire monitoring committee between Israel and the group.

Ten people were killed Friday in Israeli strikes on the Bekaa Valley in the east, and two others in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in the south.

The Israeli military announced it had targeted “command centers” belonging to Hezbollah and the Palestinian movement Hamas.

In a statement, Aoun described the attacks as “a blatant act of aggression aimed at undermining the diplomatic efforts undertaken by Lebanon with brotherly and friendly nations, foremost among them the United States of America, to consolidate stability and halt Israeli hostile actions against Lebanon.”

Israel continues to carry out regular strikes in Lebanon despite the ceasefire agreement concluded in November 2024 following more than a year of war with Hezbollah. Israel generally states it is targeting Hezbollah but occasionally also strikes Hamas.

Leadership Losses

Hezbollah announced the death of one of its commanders in one of the Bekaa strikes on Friday.

Party MP Rami Abu Hamdan stated Saturday that Hezbollah would not accept “the authorities acting as political commentators by saying these are Israeli strikes we have grown accustomed to.”

He called on the government to suspend its meetings with the ceasefire monitoring committee—which includes the United States, France, Lebanon, Israel, and the United Nations—“until the enemy halts its aggressions.”

The committee is scheduled to meet next week.

Earlier in the week, the Lebanese government announced that the army would be granted a renewable four-month period to implement the second phase of its plan to disarm Hezbollah, which emerged weakened from the conflict with Israel.

Israel, however, criticized the Lebanese army’s progress, describing it as insufficient.