Lebanon reported that five individuals lost their lives in Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday, which targeted municipal buildings in the southern city of Nabatiyeh. The city is under the influence of Hezbollah and its ally Amal, with an official confirming that the mayor was among those killed.
These strikes were part of 11 attacks on Nabatiyeh and its surroundings, creating what a local official described as 'a belt of fire' in the area. The health ministry stated that 'the Israeli enemy raid... on two buildings, that of the Nabatiyeh municipality and the union of municipalities, killed five people.' The death toll is preliminary, and rescue teams are still searching for survivors beneath the rubble.
Nabatiyeh governor Howaida Turk informed AFP that 'the mayor of Nabatiyeh, among others... was martyred. It's a massacre.' Mayor Ahmad Kahil was reportedly in the municipality building with his team during a daily crisis management meeting when the attack occurred. Hezbollah-affiliated rescuers also confirmed that the mayor was among several people killed in the strike on the municipality building. The strikes reportedly destroyed the municipality building and a nearby medical facility, with two doctors among the dead.
AFP footage showed several plumes of grey smoke rising from Nabatiyeh following the consecutive strikes. Earlier in the week, Israeli strikes had razed the city's main marketplace, wounding eight people, according to the health ministry. Since Israel launched an intense air campaign on September 23, at least 1,356 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally of Lebanese health ministry figures, though the actual toll is likely higher. This escalation followed nearly a year of cross-border fire between Hezbollah and Israeli troops over the Gaza war.
