Israeli air strike kills 11 people in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley
At least 11 people have been killed in an air raid on a house in the town of Ain in the Bekaa Valley in northeastern Lebanon, according to the National News Agency. Six bodies were recovered from under the rubble, while rescue operations are ongoing to retrieve the other five victims.
A total of 1,640 people in Lebanon have been killed since October 8, including 104 children and 194 women, the majority in Israeli strikes in the past two weeks.
Israeli military says no casualties after Hezbollah fired 8 rockets
The Israeli military says eight rockets were fired by Hezbollah at Tiberias this morning, but the projectiles landed in open areas and inflicted no casualties. The rockets set off sirens in the northeastern city and several towns nearby. Footage shared online appeared to show that at least one of the rockets landed in the Sea of Galilee.
Hezbollah has claimed one attack so far today, saying it launched Fadi 1 missiles at a military outpost along the border.
Lebanon’s army calls for national unity
The Lebanese army is instructing its citizens to maintain unity, as Israeli attacks on the country continue.
“The Army Command calls on citizens to preserve national unity and not to be drawn into actions that may affect civil peace at this dangerous and delicate stage in the history of our country, as the Israeli enemy is working to implement its destructive plans and sow division among the Lebanese,” the army said in a statement.
Israel says it has killed another senior Hezbollah figure
The Israeli army is claiming it has killed a senior Hezbollah figure, Nabil Kaouk. There is no confirmation from the Lebanese group yet.
People fleeing to Syria as fear of Israeli ground incursion grows in Lebanon
Families with their children are carrying as much as they can and crossing into Syria. We’ve spoken to some people here, many of them Syrian families who were refugees working in southern Lebanon, Beirut and the surrounding areas.
They’ve decided to go back to Syria and take their chances there as the likelihood of an Israeli ground incursion grows. There are also more intense Israeli strikes across Lebanon, including in Bekaa in the south.
On the road here, people lined up on the streets waiting for vehicles to take them to the border. People are tense and there’s a fear that the Israelis could intensify their bombardment. Just a few days ago, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said 30,000 people had crossed into Syria, and that number has increased.
Israel deploys tanks near Lebanon border
Lebanon PM says up to 1 million may be displaced by Israeli attacks
We have some comments from Najib Mikati following an emergency cabinet meeting in Beirut.
“The number of displaced people … could reach a million. Let’s not forget the large influx from the south and the Bekaa” region in Lebanon’s east, the prime minister said, calling it “the largest displacement movement that may have happened” in the country.
Asked about efforts to de-escalate the situation, Mikati said Lebanon had “no option but the diplomatic option”.
