Lebanon: An Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon early Saturday killed at least 10 Syrian citizens, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
The attack on Wadi al-Kfour in Nabatieh province is one of the deadliest in Lebanon since the militant group Hezbollah and the Israeli military began trading fire on Oct. 8, a day after Hamas attacked southern Israel and sparked the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Hezbollah says it will stop its attacks once a ceasefire is reached in the Gaza Strip.
Among the dead were a woman and her two children, the ministry said. Five other people were injured, two of them in critical condition.
Avichay Adraee, an Israeli military spokesman in Arabic, said the attack in the southern province targeted a weapons depot belonging to Hezbollah.
Mohammad Shoaib, who runs a slaughterhouse in Wadi al-Kfour, said the area targeted was an “industrial and civilian zone” containing factories producing bricks, metal and aluminum, as well as a dairy farm.
The uncle of three of those killed in the strike said they were factory workers who were in their accommodation when they were attacked and denied there were any weapons on the premises.
“There was nothing like it,” said Hussein Shahoud. “There was metal for construction, for buildings, for all kinds of purposes.”
Hezbollah has not immediately commented on the attacks.
The Lebanese government and international governments have been working hard for weeks to end the months-long clashes that have brought the region to the brink since July.
Last month, an Israeli strike in southern Beirut killed Hezbollah’s top commander, whom Israel accused of leading a rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that killed 12 young men. Hours later, an explosion blamed on Israel killed Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital.
Both Tehran and Hezbollah have vowed to retaliate but have yet to launch attacks as diplomatic efforts and Gaza ceasefire talks continue in Qatar.
In the summer of 2006, Hezbollah and Israel fought a six-week war that ended in a draw. Since then, Hezbollah’s military capabilities have developed significantly.
Since October 8, more than 500 people have been killed in clashes, most of them fighters from Hezbollah and other armed groups, but also around 100 civilians and non-combatants. In Israel, 22 soldiers and 24 civilians have been killed. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced on both sides of the tense border.
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