Israeli airstrike targets Lebanese village, killing 30
Shafaq News/ On Monday, an Israeli airstrike hit a village in the Akkar region of northern Lebanon, killing at least 30 people.
Lebanese media reported that the strike targeted a building in the town of Ain Yaqoub, in Akkar Governorate, leading to significant casualties. The Israeli military also reportedly targeted a car in the same area.
Roni Al-Hajj, head of the Union of Municipalities to which the village belongs, confirmed to AFP that the airstrike targeted "a two-story house inhabited by displaced persons," noting that this was the first time this region, more than 100 kilometers away from Lebanon’s southern border, had been struck.
In a separate incident, Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health reported that at least seven people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Saksakiya, also on Monday evening. According to the ministry's statement, "the Israeli enemy's airstrike on Saksakiya in the Saida district initially resulted in seven martyrs and seven others wounded."
The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) further reported that "the airstrike targeted a home in this coastal town, located far from the border, with most of the victims being women and children," noting that "rescue operations are ongoing."
The total death toll in Lebanon since the start of Israel's attempted ground incursion has risen to 3,243, according to the Ministry of Health, which also reported 14,134 injuries as a result of the ongoing conflict.
On Sunday, the Israeli broadcasting authority stated that Israeli Chief of Staff, General Herzi Halevi, had approved plans to expand the ground operation into Lebanon. The military said that the approved plans involve advancing into new areas of Lebanon but would return troops to the border if an agreement is reached.
For its part, Hezbollah announced, on Sunday, that it conducted “more than 20 operations against Israeli military targets, resulting in multiple casualties among Israeli soldiers.”
“The operations targeted various locations, including military gatherings near the Hassan Gate, Shebaa, Hagoshrim, Hula, Markaba, Qab’a Heights, and Kheil Heights.” Hezbollah also launched “a precise rocket attack on the Al-Abad position and struck several Israeli settlements, including Kiryat Shmona.”
Additionally, Hezbollah engaged in clashes with Israeli forces near Ainata, causing further Israeli casualties. The group carried out aerial attacks using suicide drones on Israeli military gatherings in Avivim, the Haifa naval base, and the Naoura base, all of which were hit with "precise" strikes. They also targeted the Even Menachem settlement and the Khirbat al-Manara military gathering with advanced missiles, confirming accurate hits on all targets.
For the first time, Hezbollah acknowledged targeting “the Avital site in the occupied Golan Heights with a rocket barrage and destroying an Israeli bulldozer in Kfarkela, which was demolishing homes.” Hezbollah also hit a house “sheltering Israeli soldiers” in the same region, causing casualties and continuing their attacks on an Israeli force regrouping nearby.
