5 siblings, some deaf, among those killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon
An Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese port city of Tire killed at least seven people, including five siblings, three of them deaf and mute, officials and a resident said Saturday. Elsewhere in Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes killed 31 people.
The rising death toll in Tire came as the Israeli Air Force airstrikes on different parts of southern and eastern Lebanon Saturday, hours after jets bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs, destroying several buildings, state media reported.
The Health Ministry said on Saturday evening that airstrikes on towns and villages in the eastern Bekaa Valley and Baalbek-Hermel province killed 20 people, while those in two villages in southern Lebanon killed 11 people, including five rescue workers.
Lebanese Hezbollah said it fired dozens of rockets into northern Israel and shot down a drone over southern Lebanon. The group said the Israeli Air Force struck the area where the drone crashed. There was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli military.
The Health Ministry said strikes on Tire on Friday evening also injured 46 people. He added that remains were also found in the rubble and that DNA testing will be used to identify the victims.
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Tire resident Youssef Jundi told The Associated Press that the airstrikes destroyed several buildings in the coastal city.
He said his neighbor and longtime friend, Ghazwa Dabouk, was among those killed. Dabouk’s sisters Elissar, Rabab and Fidaa, who were deaf and mute, were also killed in the airstrike, as well as Dabouk’s brother Ali, who suffered from autism.
The Israeli military said it attacked the offices of Hezbollah’s intelligence department in Tire as well as a group command and control center in the city.
More than 3,000 people were killed in Lebanon during the 13 months of the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel the day after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the Gaza war. Both Hezbollah and Hamas are allies of Iran.
For nearly a year, the conflict was mainly confined to areas along the Israel-Lebanon border. The conflict dramatically intensified on September 23 with intense Israeli airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut, killing hundreds and displacing nearly 1.2 million people.
Israel launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon on October 1, causing significant destruction in border villages but making little progress on the ground inside Lebanon. Israel says it is destroying Hezbollah’s weapons and command centers near the border, including a vast tunnel system built by Hezbollah.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
