Hezbollah reports eight members killed in Israeli strikes

Israel vs Lebanon – (Web Desk) – An Israeli airstrike in Lebanon killed eight Hezbollah members, according to a group official who spoke to AFP on Saturday. The attack struck a meeting held by the militants in the eastern Bekaa region, far from Israel’s border.

The Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah positions in the area, following earlier strikes against Hamas targets in southern Lebanon. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the attacks, which came just days after the government announced plans to implement the second phase of disarming Hezbollah in the south.

Lebanon’s health ministry reported 10 deaths in the east and two in the south, regions known to be under Hezbollah’s influence. The strikes occur amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran, with US President Donald Trump warning of possible military action over Iran’s nuclear program. Iran supports several regional groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas.

The Hezbollah official, speaking anonymously, confirmed all eight members were attending a meeting when the strike hit. The group later stated that the raid had killed a commander. The Israeli military said it targeted “several terrorists in Hezbollah’s missile network” across three command centers in the Baalbek area.

Israel carried out an airstrike on a building in Lebanon where a meeting of Hezbollah commanders was reportedly taking place.

So far, the deaths of five individuals linked to Hezbollah have been confirmed:
Ali al-Moussawi
Hussein Yaghi
Mohammad al-Moussawi
The son of MP Anwar… pic.twitter.com/0Eq8MoOvYv

— War Analyst (@War_Analysts) February 21, 2026

AFP correspondents reported significant damage in Bednayel and between Riyak and Ali al-Nahri, where debris was being cleared and buildings were heavily damaged. The attacks struck residential areas, according to eyewitnesses.

Earlier on Friday, Israel also struck Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp in the south, killing two people. The Israeli army said it targeted Hamas positions. Hamas condemned the attack, highlighting civilian casualties and claiming the targeted building was used by the joint security force responsible for maintaining stability in the camp.

Israel has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon despite a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, usually saying it is targeting the group but occasionally also Hamas militants.

Lebanon’s president called Friday’s attacks “a blatant act of aggression aimed at thwarting diplomatic efforts” by the United States and other nations to establish stability.

Washington is one of five members on a multinational committee overseeing the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, with the body scheduled to meet again next week.

Hezbollah lawmaker Rami Abu Hamdan said the group “will not accept the authorities acting as mere political analysts, dismissing these as Israeli strikes we have grown accustomed to before every meeting of the committee”.

He called on Beirut to “suspend the committee’s meetings until the enemy ceases its attacks”.

Lebanon’s government last year committed to disarming the group, with the army saying last month it had completed the first phase of the plan covering the area near the Israeli border.

Israel, which accuses Hezbollah of rearming since the war, has called the Lebanese army’s progress on disarming the militant group insufficient.