An Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon has killed an Islamic Jihad commander and his daughter after midnight on Sunday-Monday, marking a rare escalation and the first such attack on the area since 2024.
The two-story residential building, located about 400 meters from the Wavel Palestinian refugee camp in the predominantly Palestinian Imam Al-Ouza’i neighborhood, was hit directly, according to initial reports.
Wael Abdel Halim and his 17-year-old daughter were martyred in the strike, while his wife and two other children were injured.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that Israel targeted an apartment on the southern outskirts of the city of Baalbek in east Lebanon with a guided missile shortly after midnight.
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) May 18, 2026
The strike killed Wael Abdel Halim, a commander in Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and his… pic.twitter.com/p1axldsOZo
Security forces swiftly cordoned off the site as ambulance and civil defense teams worked through the rubble to evacuate the wounded and search for survivors, amid heightened alert across the region.
The strike comes despite a ceasefire agreement that had been in effect, raising concerns over a potential widening of attacks beyond the southern front.
Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli enemy conducted series of attacks targeting many towns and villages across southern Lebanon, leaving dozens of casualties.
Lebanese Health Ministry announced on Sunday that the number of people martyred by Israeli attacks since March 2 reached 2,988. It put the number of injuries at 9,210.
Source: Al-Manar English Website