The death toll from an Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb has climbed to 31, including seven women and three children, Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad announced Saturday.
Abiad told reporters that 68 people were wounded in the attack, with 15 still hospitalized. He warned that the casualty count could rise as search and rescue operations continue in the densely populated southern neighborhood hit during Friday afternoon’s rush hour.
The strike, the deadliest on Lebanon’s capital since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, destroyed an eight-story building and damaged an adjacent structure. Israel claimed it killed 11 Hezbollah operatives, including Ibrahim Akil, leader of the group’s elite Radwan Force.
Hezbollah acknowledged overnight that 15 of its operatives were killed by Israeli forces, without specifying the location. The militant group allowed journalists to tour the strike scene Saturday morning, where workers continued to dig through the rubble.
Public Works Minister Ali Hamie reported that 23 people remain missing.
The attack came hours after Hezbollah launched an intense rocket barrage on northern Israel, largely targeting military sites. Israel’s Iron Dome intercepted most of the rockets.
This escalation follows recent explosions of Hezbollah communication devices that killed at least 37 people and wounded about 2,900 others, an assault widely attributed to Israel.
As tensions rise, Israel’s security cabinet has made stopping Hezbollah’s attacks an official war goal, considering wider military operations in Lebanon.
The ongoing conflict has displaced tens of thousands in both southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
Separately, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that five of its workers were killed and five injured by Israeli fire striking ministry warehouses in southern Gaza.
AP
