Lebanon – In a significant escalation of its conflict with Hezbollah militants, Israel conducted an airstrike on Monday that resulted in the deaths of at least 21 people in the Christian-majority town of Aitou, northern Lebanon. Health officials reported that the strike targeted a house rented by displaced families, injuring eight others in the process.
This airstrike marks a shift in Israel’s military focus, which had previously concentrated on southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and the suburbs of Beirut. According to Joseph Trad, the mayor of Aitou, the attack has devastated the local community, and rescue workers were seen sifting through the rubble of destroyed buildings, with burned vehicles and debris scattered around the area.
The violence has prompted many Lebanese families to seek refuge elsewhere. At the Masnaa border crossing with Syria, families like Jalal Ferhat and Amal Tefayeli were seen unloading their belongings from buses, trying to escape the ongoing conflict. Ferhat, a 40-year-old resident of Baalbek, a known Hezbollah stronghold, expressed his fears for his children’s safety: “There are strikes in our neighbourhood and destruction. You can’t just stay where you are.”
In response to the escalating conflict, millions of Israelis took shelter as air raid sirens warned of incoming projectiles from Lebanon. The Israeli military reported intercepting three of these projectiles, with no injuries reported among the Israeli populace.