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Israeli Airstrikes in Lebanon Claim Lives of at Least 40, Including Children
Lebanese authorities reported on Saturday that Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon on Friday killed at least 40 individuals, including children, following intense Israeli shelling of the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut overnight.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health stated that at least seven people were killed in the coastal city of Tyre on Friday evening. The Israeli military had previously ordered the evacuation of large areas of the city, but an Israeli military spokesman did not post any such order on social media platform X prior to yesterday's airstrikes.
The ministry added that two children were among the deceased and that rescue operations are ongoing, with other remains retrieved after the attack undergoing DNA testing to identify their owners.
The ministry noted that strikes targeting nearby towns on Saturday resulted in the deaths of 13 individuals, including seven rescuers from Hezbollah's rescue teams and its ally, the Amal Movement.
Israeli airstrikes on Deir Qanoon Ras Ain in the Tyre district resulted in the deaths of eight people and injured 12 others. The ministry reported that at least 20 more individuals were killed in Israeli strikes on Saturday in the eastern plains surrounding the historic city of Baalbek.
The Israeli military stated that it targeted infrastructure sites belonging to Hezbollah in Tyre and Baalbek, including fighters, "operational apartments," and weapon storage facilities.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,136 people and injured 13,979 in Lebanon over the past year, which includes 619 women and 194 children.
Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah group have exchanged hostilities since October 2023, but fighting has significantly escalated since late September of this year. Israel is intensifying its air campaign and expanding its scope, while Hezbollah is increasing its daily rocket and drone attacks against Israel.
The Iran-backed group announced over 20 operations today, in addition to an operation it claimed its fighters conducted yesterday that targeted a military factory south of Tel Aviv.
Israel also targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut with over 12 airstrikes overnight.
The southern suburbs are a Hezbollah stronghold that was once densely populated, but Israeli airstrikes have nearly destroyed many of its buildings, with Hezbollah's yellow flags standing out among the rubble, according to Reuters reporters who were taken on a tour of the area by the Lebanese group.
Some buildings sustained partial damage from the strikes, leading to collapsed floors and personal belongings falling onto parked cars below.
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