Israel Intensifies Airstrikes in Gaza and Lebanon

Israel Intensifies Airstrikes in Gaza and Lebanon, Leading to Rising Casualties

In a new wave of airstrikes, the Israeli military has launched attacks across both Gaza and Lebanon, leading to significant casualties. On Friday, Israel’s air assault on northeastern Lebanon killed at least 24 people, according to the National News Agency of Lebanon. Meanwhile, in Gaza, local hospital officials reported the discovery of 25 more bodies following Israeli strikes on central regions beginning on Thursday.

The escalation has affected Lebanon’s northeastern areas, where Israel has intensified attacks against Hezbollah strongholds. This increase in military action has displaced approximately 60,000 residents in the Baalbek region, according to Lebanese lawmaker Hussein Haj Hassan. In the Bekaa Valley town of Younine, rescue teams continue to search through rubble for survivors after a building housing up to 20 people was struck.

Further assaults in Lebanon’s Baalbek-Hermel area led to additional casualties, with eight individuals killed in the village of Amhaz and two in Taraya. Israeli forces have claimed these operations are aimed at dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, following rocket attacks from Lebanon that killed seven people in Israel, including foreign workers.

Overnight, Israel also targeted Dahiyeh, a suburb in southern Beirut, reportedly destroying numerous structures linked to Hezbollah. Lebanese sources have yet to provide casualty figures for this attack. Since the conflict’s escalation on October 8, Lebanon’s Health Ministry reports over 2,800 fatalities and around 13,000 injuries.

In Gaza, escalating airstrikes have continued to impact civilians. At the al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, medical personnel reported that 21 people lost their lives in strikes near the Nuseirat refugee camp, including young children. Other strikes in the area hit a motorcycle in Zuwaida and a home in Deir al-Balah, bringing the total death toll in Gaza to 25 on Friday. In the last 24 hours alone, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that 55 people had died and 196 were injured across the besieged region.

The recent wave of violence unfolds as the Biden administration seeks temporary ceasefires between Israel, Hezbollah, and Hamas. Since the start of Israel’s retaliatory offensive on Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attack, which killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel, Gaza’s Health Ministry estimates that over 43,000 Palestinians have lost their lives. Reports suggest that over half of these casualties include women and children, highlighting the severe impact on civilians amid ongoing hostilities.