Israeli airstrikes on Saturday claimed the lives of nine people in two Lebanese villages, one north of Beirut and another south of the capital. The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that five people were killed and 14 injured in Maaysra, a predominantly Shiite village in a mountainous region north of Beirut. In Barja, located in the Shouf district south of Beirut, four fatalities and 14 injuries were recorded due to another Israeli strike.
Meanwhile, residents in northern Gaza described intense Israeli bombardment following airstrikes that killed at least 22 people. Israel has repeatedly urged residents in both northern Gaza and southern Lebanon to evacuate due to its ongoing offensive against Hamas and Hezbollah. In Lebanon, the United Nations peacekeeping force reported that their headquarters in Naqoura had been targeted again, with a peacekeeper sustaining gunshot wounds late Friday. The peacekeeper is in stable condition, but it remains unclear who fired the shots. The incident comes just a day after Israel’s military fired upon the headquarters for the second consecutive day. Israel has previously cautioned the peacekeepers to leave their positions, but they have not yet responded to inquiries regarding the latest incident.
Concerns about hunger are mounting as residents in northern Gaza reported a lack of aid since the beginning of the month. The United Nations World Food Program confirmed that no food aid has entered the northern region since October 1, leaving an estimated 400,000 people without assistance.
Israel intensified its offensive in northern Gaza nearly a week ago while simultaneously escalating its air and ground campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported an Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in the Zarout coastal area south of Beirut, resulting in four deaths and 14 injuries, according to the Health Ministry.
Hezbollah continues its barrage of rocket fire into Israel. Amidst the escalating conflict, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, expressed solidarity with both Lebanon and Palestine during a visit to the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.
In northern Gaza, residents have described a desperate situation where many are trapped in their homes and shelters with dwindling supplies. The ongoing bombing has hampered emergency responders, leaving bodies uncollected in the streets. Emergency service officials reported that at least 20 bodies were recovered from the rubble of a home in the Jabaliya refugee camp, which was reduced to a 20-meter deep hole by an airstrike. Further airstrikes in the area claimed the lives of two brothers, leaving a woman and a newborn baby injured.
The United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon have warned of a potential “catastrophic” regional conflict as Israeli forces engage in battles against Hezbollah and Hamas militants on two fronts, coinciding with the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. The escalation has sparked strong international criticism, particularly over incidents in south Lebanon that resulted in the wounding of five Blue Helmets.
The Lebanese health ministry has confirmed the deaths of nine people in Israeli air strikes on two villages near Beirut. Israel had previously instructed residents of south Lebanon to avoid returning home as its troops continue their fight against Hezbollah militants. This war, which began on September 23, has claimed the lives of over 1,200 people and displaced more than a million others.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza commenced after Hamas’ October 7 attack, in which militants stormed into Israel, killing an estimated 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and taking around 250 others hostage. Israel’s response has resulted in the deaths of over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported receiving the bodies of 49 people killed within the past 24 hours.
