Beirut, Sep 24 (V7N) – The death toll from airstrikes carried out by Israeli forces in Lebanon on Monday has risen to 558, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Among the dead are 50 children, 94 women, and four rescue workers. At least 1,835 others were injured.

Qatar-based media outlet Al Jazeera confirmed the figures on Tuesday. Lebanon’s Health Minister, Firas Abiad, reported that Israeli forces targeted homes, medical centres, ambulances, and civilian vehicles. Shocking images circulating on social media show widespread devastation, particularly in the town of Al-Duar in Nabatieh, where debris and rubble litter the streets, and panicked residents struggle to flee the destruction. Even ambulances were not spared from the attacks.

According to the Lebanese government, the airstrikes have displaced around 17,000 people, many of them from southern Lebanon. Temporary shelters have been set up, with about 150 people housed in schools.

The escalation comes as counter-attacks between Hezbollah and Israeli forces intensified. Hezbollah, a Lebanese armed group backed by Iran, has been firing rockets at northern Israel in response to the airstrikes. Israel’s Defence Minister, Yoav Galant, stated that 1,600 houses were targeted across Lebanon, claiming that Hezbollah had been using them to store rockets and missiles.

Hezbollah, for its part, declared it had targeted Israeli military bases as retaliation for the attacks. The group has remained active in its campaign against Israel, especially since the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which began after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israeli territory.

Lebanon continues to face severe losses in the conflict, with escalating violence threatening to push the region into further turmoil.

END/RH/AJ