Israeli attacks in Lebanon killed at least 45, including children and women

Middle East, News September 23, 2024 , by IRIA No Comments

An Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs claimed the lives of at least 45 people according to Lebanese authorities, including three children and seven women.

The Lebanese health ministry updated the casualty count on September 22, raising the number from the initial 38 reported. The airstrike occurred in the densely populated Dahiya district during rush hour, causing extensive destruction.

The ministry confirmed that rescue efforts continue, with emergency workers removing rubble for the third consecutive day. “Work continues to remove the rubble,” a health ministry official said, adding that DNA sampling would be used to identify some of the victims. The airstrike also left about 60 people injured, while authorities reported 17 people still missing under the debris.

The three children who died in the attack were aged four, six, and ten. Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamieh, condemned the airstrike, calling it a “war crime” and warning that Israel was “dragging the region into a war.”

Israel’s military claimed responsibility for the airstrike, stating it was a “targeted strike” aimed at senior members of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Forces. The attack allegedly resulted in the deaths of at least 16 Hezbollah militants.

Israeli forces use massive missiles in their attacks on southern Lebanon tonight. pic.twitter.com/mfuQWqRu93
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) September 21, 2024

Two of Hezbollah’s top commanders, Ibrahim Aqil and Ahmad Mahmoud Wahabi, were confirmed dead, alongside 12 other members of the group. This follows an earlier Israeli airstrike in July, which killed Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah military commander.

In response, Hezbollah launched a series of retaliatory rocket attacks on Saturday evening. The group said it had fired dozens of rockets at Israel’s Ramat David airbase, located east of Haifa. Rocket sirens blared across northern Israel as the Israeli military intercepted most of the rockets. If confirmed, Hezbollah’s attack would mark the farthest-reaching assault by the group inside Israel since clashes reignited last year.

Escalating tensions

The cross-border conflict between Israel and Lebanon has intensified since August, following months of sporadic fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli military. While clashes have been ongoing since Israel’s military action in Gaza last year, the recent attacks represent a dangerous escalation in violence.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported large-scale Israeli airstrikes over southern Lebanon on Saturday, with around 90 rockets fired into northern Israel from Lebanese territory. In retaliation, Israeli forces struck over 400 rocket launchers in Lebanon, although it remains unclear if further casualties resulted from the weekend’s back-and-forth attacks.

Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi warned that the country was entering a “decisive” phase following the attack on the residential area. In a press conference on Saturday, Mawlawi emphasized the need to prevent further violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty to avoid a deepening security crisis.

*^{People watch Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivering his televised address, as they sit at a cafe in Beirut. (Image Credit: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)}*

The Israeli airstrikes follow explosions earlier in the week, involving thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies across Lebanon. Those incidents, also attributed to Israel, left at least 39 people dead and nearly 3,000 injured.

With tensions continuing to rise, the prospect of more extensive conflict between Hezbollah and Israel looms large. The international community has expressed concern over the potential for further violence in the region.