Israeli Strike Wipes Out 10 in Lebanon!

In a dramatic escalation of violence, an Israeli airstrike targeted the southern Lebanese town of Nabatiyeh, resulting in the deaths of at least ten people, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. The strike has sparked a new wave of retaliatory attacks from Hezbollah, marking a significant intensification in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Lebanon.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that all those killed in the airstrike were Syrian nationals, with a woman and her two children among the victims. The strike also left at least five people injured, two of whom are in critical condition. The injured include three Syrians, one Sudanese, and one Lebanese individual, with two Syrians undergoing emergency surgery at a nearby hospital.

The Israeli military has confirmed the airstrike, stating it targeted a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in Nabatiyeh. This strike marks one of the deadliest in southern Lebanon since Israel launched its offensive against Gaza in response to the October 7 Hamas attacks, which claimed the lives of approximately 1,200 people in Israel.

Residents of Nabatiyeh described the horror of the night. Mohamed, a 14-year-old boy, was preparing for bed when he witnessed a missile strike a warehouse near his home. “They are always flying over here 24/7, sometimes they fly so low you can see them,” Mohamed told CNN, referring to the ever-present drones in the sky. Rescuers worked through the night, uncovering bodies from the rubble, including a decapitated body and a severed arm.

The victims, believed to be Syrian migrants, had fled their war-torn homeland only to face death in a new conflict. “They escaped one war and got killed in another,” lamented Haitham, a Syrian national working as a guard in a nearby company.

In response to the airstrike, Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, launched a barrage of rockets towards Israel. The group targeted the northern Israeli town of Ayelet Hashahar, with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirming that sirens had sounded in the area after “approximately 55 projectiles” crossed from Lebanon. Fortunately, no injuries were reported from this latest volley of rockets.

In a separate incident, the IDF reported that one of its soldiers was severely injured and another lightly wounded when a projectile from Lebanon struck the area of Misgav Am.

The violence in southern Lebanon is not confined to these incidents. On the same day, a drone strike in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre claimed the life of a motorcyclist, according to Lebanon’s state-owned National News Agency (NNA).

The ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israeli forces has become a near-daily occurrence since Israel initiated its military campaign in Gaza. Over the past ten months, the war in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of more than 40,000 Palestinians, turning much of the region into a wasteland and displacing nearly the entire population.

Tensions between Lebanon and Israel escalated further last month when an Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed Fu’ad Shukr, a top Hezbollah military commander. This incident was quickly followed by the assassination of Hamas’ political leader in Tehran, an act widely attributed to Israel, although it has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

These targeted killings have fueled speculation about potential retaliatory strikes by Hezbollah and Iran against Israel. Sources familiar with the situation have indicated that Hezbollah may act independently of Iran, given Lebanon’s proximity to Israel and the group’s ability to strike with little to no warning.

Meanwhile, the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. In central Gaza, an Israeli airstrike claimed the lives of at least 15 members of the same family, including nine children, in the town of al-Zawayda. The civil defense spokesperson in Gaza reported that rescue workers have been searching through the rubble, pulling out bodies, including that of a child.

When CNN sought comment from the Israeli military regarding the civilian casualties, the IDF stated, “The reports that civilians were injured as a result of the strike are under review.” In a later statement, the IDF claimed to have killed several militants in the same area, including one who had launched rockets at Israeli troops.

The relentless fighting in Gaza has left the region in ruins and driven nearly all of its residents from their homes. On Saturday, Israel issued new evacuation orders for central Gaza, marking the ninth such directive in August alone. The United Nations has warned that these orders are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis, severely limiting access to essential services and shelter for the local population.

As the conflict rages on, efforts to negotiate a truce have stalled. Hostage and ceasefire talks concluded on Friday without resolution, though international mediators are expected to present a new proposal in the coming days aimed at bridging the gaps between Israel and Gaza.