SIDON/BEIRUT, Jan. 6, 2026 — An Israeli strike hit Lebanon’s southern port city of Sidon early Tuesday, flattening an unoccupied three-storey commercial building in a coastal district of workshops and garages, as rescue teams searched rubble for possible victims and at least one person was taken to hospital, authorities said.
The Kenya Red Cross-style rescue reference in earlier reports was not applicable here; instead, Lebanese emergency teams and civil defence units were deployed, with local media showing responders working through debris after the blast around 1 a.m. No deaths were immediately confirmed in Sidon, though officials said the search continued.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the strikes, saying they undermine efforts to calm tensions and restore state authority in areas where Hezbollah has long exercised influence. Aoun said the attacks risk derailing de-escalation measures as the government presses ahead with security arrangements in the south.
Israel’s military said it targeted weapons storage sites linked to Hezbollah and Hamas, arguing the groups operate from civilian areas and that the targeted locations formed part of militant infrastructure.
The Sidon strike came days before Lebanon’s army commander is due to brief the government on plans aimed at advancing the state’s pledge to disarm Hezbollah near the Israeli border—a commitment tied to a ceasefire reached in 2024 that ended more than a year of war and remains fragile amid near-daily incidents and mutual accusations of violations.
