Hezbollah announced Friday that eight of its members were killed in Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon. The strikes, which hit a residential building near the village of Rayak, reportedly destroyed the top floor of a three-story structure.
According to a Hezbollah official speaking anonymously, three of the deceased were identified as local commanders: Ali al-Moussawi, Mohammed al-Moussawi, and Hussein Yaghi. Israel confirmed its forces "eliminated" Hezbollah members, stating the targets were "command centres" in the Baalbek area.
The Israeli Defence Forces posted on X that the targeted individuals "were operating to accelerate readiness and force build-up processes, while planning fire attacks toward Israel and advancing terror attack." They added that these actions constituted a "violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon."
Hussein Yaghi was the son of Mohammed Yaghi, a prominent Hezbollah official and founder who died in 2023, and a close aide to the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in September 2024.
Lebanon's Health Ministry reported Saturday that the strikes killed a total of 10 people, including three children, and wounded two dozen others. A doctor at Rayak Hospital confirmed receiving 10 bodies and treating 21 injured individuals, noting that two of those killed were non-Lebanese: a Syrian man and an Ethiopian woman. Eight of the wounded were also foreign nationals.
The heightened death toll comes amid increased regional tensions. Israeli strikes on Lebanon have been frequent, even with a ceasefire in effect since November 2024, brokered by former US President Joe Biden. Hezbollah initiated cross-border attacks after Israel's offensive in Gaza began following the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led operation. Israel states its operations aim to prevent Hezbollah's rearmament and exclusively target members and infrastructure, while the Lebanese government reports dozens of civilian casualties since the ceasefire.