People examine the destruction at the site of an Israeli air strike in Maaysra. Photo: AFP
Lebanon's health ministry reported that Israeli strikes on two villages on Saturday, one north of Beirut and another to the south, resulted in the deaths of at least nine individuals, as state media documented further strikes in other areas. The ministry stated in a release that an 'Israeli enemy strike on Maaysra', a predominantly Shiite Muslim village situated in a largely Christian mountainous region north of Beirut, led to the deaths of 'five people and injured 14 others'. Separately, it noted that 'four people were killed and 14 others wounded' in an 'Israeli enemy strike' on Barja in the Shouf district south of the capital.
The official National News Agency (NNA) also reported unspecified casualties from an 'Israeli strike' targeting Deir Billa, approximately 15 kilometers (nine miles) from the town of Batroun on Lebanon's north coast. It mentioned that families from southern Lebanon had sought refuge in a house that was subsequently targeted. In eastern Lebanon, the management of the Tal Chiha hospital disclosed in a statement that the facility sustained 'light material damage' due to 'strikes that targeted the vicinity' of the predominantly Christian town of Zahle. The hospital reported no injuries to patients or staff and confirmed that it remained operational.
Since September 23, Israel has been intensively bombarding Lebanon, asserting that it is targeting Hezbollah sites. All four locations reported hit on Saturday are outside areas typically considered Hezbollah strongholds. In Maaysra, an AFP correspondent observed excavators attempting to remove sections of a demolished building as emergency personnel, including one using a manual sledgehammer, worked to break through a massive concrete slab. In Deir Billa, another correspondent witnessed a mattress, pillows, bed covers, a washing basket, and clothes among the debris, as people manually sifted through the rubble and smoke rose from a smoldering pile.
Later on Saturday, the NNA reported that 'Israeli warplanes... carried out a strike that targeted the center of the marketplace' in Nabatiyeh, a significant southern Lebanon city located about 12 kilometers from the border with Israel. Israel's army had previously advised residents to evacuate the city, which houses public institutions, hospitals, and a branch of the Lebanese University. The NNA also noted that 'enemy aircraft carried out a series of strikes' in the eastern Bekaa Valley. Almost a year of cross-border exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah escalated into full-scale war on September 23, with Israel bombarding southern and eastern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs, claiming it is targeting Hezbollah.
The health ministry reported on Saturday that 26 people were killed the previous day, bringing the total number of deaths in a year of violence to 2,255, with more than half occurring since September 23, according to an AFP tally.
