Oct 29, V7N- In a devastating escalation of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley reportedly killed at least 60 people on Monday, as confirmed by Lebanon's health ministry. The strikes targeted multiple areas, with a significant number of casualties in Baalbek, a Hezbollah stronghold. Among the victims were two children, and at least 58 others were wounded. The death toll is expected to increase as rescue operations continue.
The violence marked one of the deadliest days for the Baalbek region since the conflict erupted on September 23. The ongoing war, following nearly a year of intermittent cross-border clashes, has displaced around 1.3 million people. Over 800,000 are displaced within Lebanon itself, with another half million, mostly Syrian refugees, fleeing into Syria.
The airstrikes on Monday intensified without any prior evacuation warning, prompting criticism from local officials. Baalbek Governor Bachir Khodr condemned the strikes as the “most violent” in the conflict to date, pointing to the lack of prior warnings as exacerbating the toll on an already impoverished region.
END/WD/RH/
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