Lebanon Hit by Israeli Strikes, Leaving at Least 9 Dead and Many Wounded
In a dramatic escalation of the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, Israeli strikes in two villages on Saturday killed at least nine people, reported state media, with further strikes targeting areas across the country.
The Lebanese health ministry announced that an “Israeli enemy strike” on Maaysra, a predominantly Christian and Shia Muslim village north of Beirut, killed five people and wounded 14 others. Another strike on Barja, in the Shouf district south of the capital, killed four people and left 14 others wounded.
The National News Agency (NNA) reported unspecified casualties in a separate strike on Deir Billa, near the town of Batroun on Lebanon’s north coast. The agency also reported that the Tal Chiha hospital in the mainly Christian town of Zahle sustained “light material damage” from nearby strikes, with no injuries or patients affected.
The sites targeted on Saturday were outside usual Hezbollah strongholds, sparking concerns about the escalating conflict. The health ministry reported 26 people killed the day before, bringing the total toll since September 23 to 2,255, with over half of those casualties occurring since the outbreak of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The conflict has seen intense bombardment on Lebanon, with Israel claiming it is targeting Hezbollah sites. Lebanon’s state media reported that israeli warplanes carried out a strike on the marketplace in Nabatiyeh, a key city in southern Lebanon, while enemy aircraft launched a series of strikes in the Bekaa Valley.
As the violence continues, concerns are growing about the humanitarian impact on civilians caught in the crossfire. With no end in sight to the conflict, the world watches with bated breath, hoping for a swift resolution to this devastating and deadly crisis.
