Israeli airstrikes have wreaked havoc in southern Lebanon, destroying a mosque and leveling a marketplace, as tensions and violence continue to escalate in the region. The attacks, described as “apocalyptic,” are part of a wider bombardment campaign targeting multiple areas across the country.
On Sunday, an old mosque in the village of Kfar Tibnit, southern Lebanon, was completely destroyed during an Israeli air raid, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. While no immediate deaths were reported, the destruction of the religious site has intensified fears and unrest in the area.
Marketplace Bombed In Nabatieh
In the southern city of Nabatieh, an Israeli airstrike on Saturday night devastated a bustling marketplace, killing several people and sparking a massive fire. The Lebanese Red Cross reported that the number of casualties is still undetermined due to the scale of the blaze.
Emergency services are struggling to access the site, raising concerns about the presence of bodies trapped under the rubble. Reports from Beirut describe the aftermath as catastrophic.
Videos shared on social media show entire streets obliterated, with fires burning through buildings and debris scattered across the area. “It’s like a scene from the apocalypse,” witnesses described, as emergency responders continue to work in dangerous conditions.
Civilians Forced To Flee Amid Widening Attacks
Israeli forces have issued an evacuation order for 23 villages in southern Lebanon, forcing civilians to flee to the north in search of safety. In other regions of Lebanon, Israeli strikes have expanded beyond the traditional Hezbollah strongholds, killing at least 15 people and wounding 37 more.
In northern Lebanon, two people were killed and four others injured when Israeli air raids hit the town of Deir Billa for the first time since the conflict escalated. In Barja, located south of Beirut, four people were killed and 18 were injured in another attack. Further north in the village of Maaysrah, nine people were killed and 15 were wounded in what the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health described as an “enemy strike.”
UN Peacekeepers Targeted
Israeli airstrikes also wounded another United Nations peacekeeper in southern Lebanon, prompting UN Secretary-General António Guterres to condemn the attacks. UNIFIL, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, reported that five of its peacekeepers had been injured over the course of two days, with significant damage caused to its posts.
Andrea Tenenti, a spokesperson for UNIFIL, warned that the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could spiral into a regional war with catastrophic consequences. Tenenti emphasized that “there is no military solution,” urging all sides to pursue diplomatic means to resolve the crisis.
In response to the attacks, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, insisting that UN peacekeeping forces must not be targeted as the conflict continues to unfold.
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