According to the Lebanese health ministry, an Israeli airstrike claimed the lives of 20 individuals, including three children, in the village of Almat, situated just north of Beirut.
Almat, primarily a Shia Muslim community, is nestled within a predominantly Christian area. It lies outside Hezbollah’s usual territories, which are centered around southern Beirut and parts of southern and eastern Lebanon. These areas have faced intense bombardment from Israel since the end of September as part of its ongoing military campaign against the Iran-supported group.
“An attack by the Israeli forces on Almat in the Jbeil district resulted in the deaths of 20 people, including three children, with six others injured,” stated the health ministry in their latest report.
In another tragic development, the ministry announced that Israeli airstrikes also took the lives of three rescuers affiliated with Hezbollah in the southern region.
The state-controlled National News Agency (NNA) reported, “Enemy aircraft targeted a residence in the Al-Laqees neighborhood,” highlighting the gravity of the situation. Throughout the night and into Sunday morning, a succession of air assaults hit various southern and eastern villages, according to NNA.
Just yesterday, the airstrikes resulted in the deaths of 20 individuals in eastern Lebanon and 13 more in the southern parts, as per the numbers shared by the health ministry. On September 23, Israel escalated its aerial operations, with the primary focus being to dismantle the strongholds of Hezbollah. About a week later, ground forces were also deployed into the fray.
This surge in violence followed nearly a year of relatively low-key, cross-border skirmishes initiated by Hezbollah, which was aligned with its ally, Hamas. These hostilities were sparked by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which ignited what has now become the Gaza conflict.
Tragically, more than 3,130 lives have been lost in Lebanon as a result of the recent cross-border violence, with the majority of casualties occurring since the heightened assaults began on September 23.
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
