The death toll from the Israeli airstrikes in many Lebanese regions is rising steadily. Seventeen people, including a pregnant woman and a child, were killed in Tyre, where raids were carried out on several neighborhood of the city, on Friday evening, according to the Ministry of Health, as rescue workers continued to search through the rubble of destroyed buildings on Saturday morning. Thirty-eight others were injured.
Search operations were halted until this morning due to low-flying drones over the city. A new wave of Israeli bombardments struck villages in the districts of Tyre and Bint Jbeil, with Israeli aircraft launching multiple airstrikes on the city of Tyre. A building on Safi al-Din street and another on the Religious School street were targeted.
Less than an hour later, Israeli aircraft returned, striking a building adjacent to the previously targeted ones while Civil Defense teams were still searching through the rubble for survivors or injured.
In Lebbaya, in the Bekaa, nine people were also killed in Israeli airstrikes on Saturday. In Chehabyeh, in southern Lebanon, an airstrike left one dead as well.
On Friday night till early Saturday morning, Israeli warplanes launched 14 airstrikes targeting the areas of Hadath, Burj al-Barajneh, Haret Hreik, and Hay al-Jamous in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday night till early Saturday morning.
One of the airstrikes hit the vicinity of the Lebanese University campus in Hadath, for the first time since Israel launched its war against Hezbollah in September.
Less than an hour after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings to residents, the bombing started. Israeli Army spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced on Saturday morning that, “During the night, Air Force jets carried out strikes with precise intelligence guidance from the Military Intelligence Directorate on Hezbollah command centers, weapons production sites, and other infrastructure in Beirut’s southern suburb.”
“Hezbollah places its facilities within residential neighborhoods, using civilian areas as shields as part of its combat strategy, exploiting Lebanon’s civilians as human shields,” he added on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
From last night until this morning, reconnaissance, drone, and fighter aircraft flew intensively over the villages of Tyre and Bint Jbeil, particularly along the Litani River, and released flares over the western and central sectors, reaching the outskirts of Tyre.
The National News agency (NNA) reported on Saturday that the Israeli strikes have also caused extensive damage to the agricultural sector. Olive, banana, and citrus crops have been spoiled due to farmers’ inability to access their orchards amidst ongoing threats and attacks, with some farmers in the plains of Tyre and Naqoura targeted. Additionally, many livestock and poultry have perished on southern farms.
Moreover, Israeli airstrikes also hit Nabatiyeh and Shaheen, while the southern and eastern outskirts of Yuhmur al-Shaqif were subjected to artillery shelling from Israeli military positions in northern Israel. No casualties were reported. Early this morning, Israeli warplanes launched another airstrike, targeting and destroying a building in Hay al-Maslakh in Nabatiyeh.
Israeli Side
On the Israeli side, air raid sirens sounded in Kiryat Shmona, several towns in the Galilee Finger and Upper Galilee, Safed, and surrounding areas, as well as other settlements, following a barrage of rockets launched from southern Lebanon toward Israeli military positions in the Upper Galilee. Reports indicated that interceptor missiles exploded over border villages in southern Lebanon.
Additionally, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that five rockets were fired from Lebanon toward Safed, with some intercepted and others landing in open areas.
Hezbollah
The National News agency (NNA) reported that statistics indicate that the Iran-backed group carried out dozens of operations overnight, targeting Israeli positions and gatherings along the confrontation line in the western and central sectors.
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