Lebanon reports 60 fatalities from Israeli attacks on Bekaa Valley in the east

Over 60 people have died in Israeli attacks on Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

Officials reported that two children were killed in the strikes in 12 areas in the Baalbek region.

Additionally, 58 people were injured, with ongoing rescue operations in the valley, which is known as a Hezbollah stronghold.

The Israeli military has not yet made a statement.

Israel has conducted numerous air strikes across Lebanon in the past five weeks, targeting what it claims are Hezbollah’s operatives, infrastructure, and weapons.

The Baalbek governor described the attacks as the “most severe” in the area since Israel escalated the conflict against Hezbollah last month.

Unverified videos circulating on social media show buildings damaged and forests engulfed in flames as rescuers search for survivors.

Earlier on Monday, Israeli air strikes in the coastal city of Tyre resulted in seven deaths and 17 injuries, as reported by Lebanon’s health ministry. Israel issued a warning for people to evacuate the city center.

Hezbollah stated that it clashed with Israeli troops near Lebanon’s southern border and launched rockets at a naval base inside Israel near Haifa.

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began after the armed Lebanese group started firing rockets in and around northern Israel in support of Palestinians on 8 October 2023, following Hamas’s attack on southern Israel.

The Lebanese health ministry reports that more than 2,600 people have died and over 12,400 have been wounded in Lebanon since then.

Israel launched a dramatic invasion of southern Lebanon on 30 September to eliminate Hezbollah’s weapons and infrastructure through “limited, localized, targeted raids,” according to their statement.

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Lebanon’s government estimates that up to 1.3 million people have been displaced internally due to the conflict.