Israeli Strikes Across Lebanon Increase Casualties
An Israeli strike on Thursday targeting a car on the Zahle–Karak highway in the central Bekaa killed two people and wounded two others, Lebanon’s Public Health Ministry said in a statement.
Beirut’s southern suburbs
An Israeli drone strike targeted two cars late Wednesday at the southern entrance of the city along the Ziad Rahbani highway on the Beirut International Airport (BIA) road.
Shortly after the raid, the Israeli army said the target was the head of Hezbollah’s fire unit. In a later post on X, the Israeli army said it had targeted another Hezbollah operative for the second time in less than an hour.
The Public Health Ministry later announced that three people were killed and six others wounded in the two drone strikes on the airport road.
In Beirut’s southern suburbs, a missile struck Haret Hreik at dawn but failed to explode. Israeli warplanes later returned and struck the same location again violently, with the blast echoing across several areas of Mount Lebanon.
The strike followed a warning strike on the southern suburbs after the Israeli army issued evacuation notices, which sparked a fire in the targeted area.
The attack coincided with Israeli warplanes flying at very low altitude over Beirut.
An Israeli warship also struck a residential apartment in Haret Hreik, behind the Kremino shops and opposite Khalife restaurant.
Mount Lebanon
Later Wednesday night, another Israeli raid struck Shoueifat, specifically the Five Wings area, hitting a residential apartment in a building and causing significant destruction and injuries.
North Lebanon
In northern Lebanon, overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, Hamas leader Wasim Atallah Al-Ali and his wife were killed when an Israeli drone targeted their home in the Badawi Palestinian refugee camp in Tripoli, near the Khalil Al-Rahman Mosque, shortly before dawn Thursday.
One of Al-Ali’s daughters was also injured and transported to Al-Hilal Hospital inside the camp for treatment.
The camp witnessed angry marches and chants condemning the attack early Thursday morning.
Al-Ali is the brother of Saeed Atallah Al-Ali, who was killed along with his wife and family during the last war when an Israeli drone targeted their home in the same camp.
South Lebanon
In southern Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike on Kfour at dawn killed the town’s mayor Tawfiq Safa and his wife. Rescue teams were working to retrieve their bodies from beneath the rubble.
Other strikes targeted the outskirts of Zibqin and Deir Kifa, leaving one person wounded while rescue teams searched for others.
A raid on the town of Qleileh in the Tyre district killed three people, while Israeli warplanes also struck a house in Shehabiyeh in the same district.
Starting at 4:20 a.m., Israeli warplanes launched a wide wave of airstrikes across several southern towns. Two raids hit the town of Aba, one of which destroyed a residential home belonging to the Amis family.
Other areas targeted included Kfarreman, the vicinity of the Kfour cemetery, Toul, the outskirts of Deir Seryan, Odaisseh, Touline, Tayr Harfa, the Marj neighborhood in Kfarreman, the area between Aba and Jibchit, Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, Meifdoun, and Maroun al-Ras.
Another strike hit the area between Zawtar and Kfartibnit, killing three people. Israel also shelled Yahmar al-Shaqif with phosphorus munitions.
Hezbollah Response
Hezbollah said it carried out several attacks on Israeli targets in response to the strikes.
In a statement, the pro-Iranian group said that “in response to the Israeli aggression targeting dozens of Lebanese cities and towns, including Beirut’s southern suburbs,” its fighters launched rocket barrages at Israeli positions in the Galilee Panhandle at 2:40 a.m. Thursday.
In another statement, Hezbollah said that at 11:10 p.m. Wednesday its fighters targeted the Rafael military industries complex south of the city of Acre with a swarm of attack drones.
The group also said it targeted the Ein Zeitim base, a brigade headquarters north of Safed, with attack drones at the same time.
In a separate statement, Hezbollah said clashes between its fighters and Israeli forces in the town of Khiam forced Israeli troops to withdraw their remaining vehicles and soldiers toward Tellet al-Hamams, adding that further details would follow.
Separately, the group said its fighters engaged an Israeli force attempting to advance toward the town of Dhayra at 11:20 p.m. Wednesday, claiming the clash resulted in confirmed casualties among Israeli troops and that fighting was ongoing at the time of the statement.
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