Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon kills 13 people, Lebanese ministry says

SIDON, Lebanon (AP) — An Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed 13 people and wounded several others, state media and government officials said. It was the deadliest strike on Lebanon since a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war a year ago.

The drone strike hit a car in the parking lot of a mosque in the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp on the outskirts of the coastal city of Sidon, the state-run National News Agency said. The Lebanese Health Ministry said 13 people were killed and several others wounded in the airstrike, without giving further details.

Hamas fighters in the area prevented journalists from reaching the scene, as ambulances rushed to evacuate the wounded and the dead.

The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas training compound that was being used to prepare an attack against Israel and its army. It added that the Israeli army would continue to act against Hamas wherever the group operates.

Hamas condemned the attack in a statement saying the strike hit a sports playground and denying that it was a training compound.

Over the past two years, Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon have killed scores of officials from the militant Hezbollah group as well as Palestinian factions such as Hamas.

Saleh Arouri, the deputy political head of Hamas and a founder of the group’s military wing, was killed in a drone strike on a southern suburb of Beirut on Jan. 2, 2024. Several other Hamas officials have been killed in strikes since then.

Hamas led the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people. That sparked Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip that killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

A day after the Israel-Hamas war started, Hezbollah began firing rockets toward Israeli posts along the border. Israel responded with shelling and airstrikes in Lebanon, and the two sides became locked in an escalating conflict that became a full-blown war in late September 2024.

That war, the most recent of several conflicts involving Hezbollah over the past four decades, killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians, and caused an estimated $11 billion worth of destruction, according to the World Bank. In Israel, 127 people died, including 80 soldiers.

The war ended in late November 2024 with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Since then, Israel has carried out scores of airstrikes in Lebanon, saying that Hezbollah is trying to rebuild its capabilities.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry has reported more than 270 people killed and around 850 wounded by Israeli military actions since the ceasefire.

Palestinian people check cars that were damaged by an Israeli strike that hit on Tuesday night in the Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

A Hamas gunman, left, stands next of a Palestinian rescue man who carries a bag with body remains, near the scene where an Israeli strike hit on Tuesday night the Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

People gathering next of ambulances outside a hospital where they brought the victims of the Israeli strike that hit the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

People gathering next of ambulances outside a hospital where they brought the victims of the Israeli strike that hit the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

People gathering next of an ambulance as it enters the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Dejounte Murray converted a slashing layup fewer than 20 seconds into his first game in nearly 13 months.

He capped off his 13-point performance with another driving layup off the glass to give the New Orleans Pelicans a five-point lead with 1:04 to go in a 113-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.

“I’ve been through a lot," Murray said. "I keep my chest out, chin up, smiling. And I’m just ready to see where it goes from here.”

Murray's playing time was limited to 25 minutes in his comeback from a ruptured right Achilles tendon, but Pelicans coach James Borrego made sure to save some of those minutes for closing time, or, in this case, winning time.

“He looked like his old self. He didn’t miss a beat," Borrego said. "For that to be his first game, I felt him on both ends of the floor. ... He was fantastic. Really proud of him and just happy for him to embrace this moment.”

Murray assisted on three baskets, grabbed a couple of rebounds and had a steal, but also committed five turnovers.

Zion Williamson, who scored a team-high 26 points, made note of Murray's on-court communication and leadership.

“He has a way of just keeping everybody engaged, even when you get frustrated,” Williamson said.

When the game ended, Murray's daughter ran onto the court and hugged her father. When Murray reached the locker room, “his teammates just shouted him out," Borrego said.

The coach described it as "a massive celebration in there for him — the journey he's been on, the year he had.”

Murray said his teammates' celebration of him “was great, but I'm ready for the next game."

The Pelicans have 23 games left this season. Murray left little doubt about the role he expects to play in all of them.

“I'm hungry,” Murray said. "I'm starving.”

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New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) battles for the ball with Golden State Warriors guard De'anthony Melton (8) next to New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (5) and forward Draymond Green (23) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (5) shoots against Golden State Warriors guard De'anthony Melton (8) and forward Draymond Green (23) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (5) shoots against Golden State Warriors guard De'anthony Melton (8) and forward Draymond Green (23) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (5) reacts after his team's victory over the Golden State Warriors in an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (5) helps up forward Zion Williamson (1) during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors in New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)