At least 40 people were killed Wednesday in Israeli airstrikes across eastern Lebanon in the Baalbek and Bekaa governorates, the country’s health ministry said. The areas were hit as part of Israel’s operations against the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, which has a strong presence in Lebanon.
“This operation struck the operative apparatus and infrastructure of Hezbollah,” an Israeli official said. Reportedly, other attacks killed 16 people in the village of Nasriyah and 11 in the city of Baalbek.
One attack destroyed much of the ancient Manshiya building adjacent to the Roman ruins in Baalbek, which are under UNESCO protection.The Lebanon culture minister spoke of the destruction as a loss to Lebanon’s heritage. Adjacent to these ruins is the Palmyra Hotel, a landmark of the 19th century, which suffered damage.
Lebanon’s Civil Defence agency recovered 30 bodies from an apartment building in Barja, a southern Beirut suburb that housed displaced families. “It partially collapsed, resulting in the death of seven women and three children and some others,” said an official who wished to remain unidentified. Lebanese officials claimed there was no warning for evacuation before the attack.
In southern Beirut, the Israeli Defense Forces pounded several Hezbollah command centers and weapons storage sites after making an initial warning to evacuate four neighborhoods of residents.
Later, a massive fireball appeared in the sky over Beirut which further confirmed airstrikes.
In retaliation, Hezbollah launched nearly 170 rockets at northern and central Israel. A rocket also killed a young Israeli man near the kibbutz of Kfar Masaryk, and another projectile hit a car park near Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.
Lebanese authorities have reported that more than 2,400 people are believed to have died in the conflict so far and that over 1.2 million have fled their homes in Lebanon, while the Israeli authorities estimate that, during the past year, Hezbollah attacks have killed over 70 in Israel.
Israel escalation was pushed by almost one year of cross-border skirmishes, but it is mainly a result of Hezbollah’s decision to favor Hamas after October 7, 2023, when an attack on Israel was launched.