Deadly Aggression on Lebanon Kills 13 as Hamas Rejects Israeli Claim of Targeting Its Facility
The attack took place on Tuesday in the southern city of Sidon and hit the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirmed that 13 people were killed and four wounded, while other reports, including the National News Agency (NNA), put the death toll at at least 15. Many victims were admitted to local hospitals.
Israel said it targeted what it described as Hamas members at a site inside the camp. Hamas strongly rejected the accusation. The group said the strike hit a crowded sports field and club used mainly by teenagers, not a training or educational compound.
In a statement, Hamas called Israel’s assertion “slander and a pure lie,” saying it was meant “to justify the crime and incite against the Palestinian camps and the Palestinian people.”
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Ayman Shanaa, a Hamas official, said “the majority of the martyrs… were children under the age of 18, who were inside a sports field and club.”
Hamas sources said the strike targeted an indoor mini-football arena that is always busy at that hour. The group also denied reports that a senior member had been targeted, stressing that all those killed were ordinary residents of the camp.
Hamas added that “no military facilities exist inside Palestinian camps in Lebanon.”
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement also condemned the attack. Its spokesperson, Mohammed al-Hajj Moussa, said the strike on a crowded civilian area was part of a “continuous aggression” against Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and abroad.
He said Israel’s claims were “baseless” and aimed at legitimizing “the direct targeting of civilians.”
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He added that Israel must “bear full responsibility for the consequences of this aggression,” which he said posed serious dangers for Palestine and the wider region.
The strike came amid growing Israeli threats to expand military operations in Lebanon.
Earlier strikes in the south had already killed two Lebanese citizens in separate attacks on vehicles in Blida and Bint Jbeil.
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