Deadly Strike Hits Palestinian Refugee Camp
An Israeli drone attack has killed thirteen people at a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, marking the deadliest strike in the country since last year's ceasefire agreement.
The Lebanese health ministry and state media confirmed the death toll after the strike hit the Ein el-Hilweh camp near the city of Sidon on Tuesday 18 November 2025.
According to the state-run National News Agency, the attack targeted a car parked outside a mosque within the camp, with several additional people injured in the explosion.
Conflicting Accounts of the Target
The Israeli military defended its actions, stating it had struck militants operating in a Hamas training compound within the refugee camp.
In an official statement, the Israeli army alleged that Hamas was using the facility to carry out attacks on Israel and vowed to continue operations against the group wherever it operates.
However, Hamas strongly denied these claims, calling them "pure fabrication and lies" designed to justify what they described as criminal aggression.
The militant group insisted the strike actually hit an open sports field used by camp residents and maintained there are no military establishments within Lebanon's refugee camps.
Regional Tensions and Historical Context
This incident represents the most significant breach of the fragile peace since Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in 2024.
That agreement specifically required Hezbollah to remove all weapons from southern Lebanon while demanding Israeli forces completely withdraw from Lebanese territory.
Over the past two years, scores of officials from Iran-backed Hezbollah and other Palestinian factions have been killed in similar Israeli airstrikes.
The strike occurs against the backdrop of ongoing regional tensions stemming from Hamas's deadly attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage.
Israel's subsequent military response in Gaza has resulted in more than 69,000 Palestinian deaths according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, though the ministry does not distinguish between civilian and combatant casualties.
