At least 40 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on eastern Lebanon on Wednesday, according to the Lebanese health ministry. The strikes targeted areas in the Baalbek and Bekaa governorates, which Israel said were aimed at Hezbollah operatives backed by Iran.
Lebanese Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada reported significant damage from one of the strikes to an Ottoman-era building in Baalbek, a UNESCO World Heritage site located near ancient Roman ruins. The city of Baalbek also sustained damage from the attacks.
Meanwhile, Israeli military strikes hit southern Beirut, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reporting that they targeted Hezbollah command centers, weapons depots, and other infrastructure. Evacuation warnings were issued for four neighborhoods, including those near Lebanon’s international airport, which remained operational despite the ongoing airstrikes.
In retaliation, Hezbollah fighters fired a rocket into northern Israel, killing an Israeli man near a kibbutz. The Lebanese Civil Defense reported the recovery of 30 bodies from a four-story apartment building in Barja, a town south of Beirut, which had been struck by Israeli forces on Tuesday. The building, housing displaced people, was severely damaged, and a fire broke out. One survivor, Moussa Zahran, described rescuing his wife and son after they were injured by falling debris.
The Lebanese health ministry confirmed the deaths of at least 40 people in the Israeli strikes on the Baalbek and Bekaa areas on Wednesday, with another 53 reported injured. Among the victims were 16 people killed in the village of Nasriyah and 11 in Baalbek city.
In addition, the famous Palmyra Hotel near the Roman ruins of Baalbek was also damaged, and at least two people were killed in the area. The Israeli military claimed that its strikes were based on intelligence indicating the presence of Hezbollah operatives.
Hezbollah’s new secretary-general, Naim Qassem, pledged that the group was prepared to escalate the conflict, with “tens of thousands” of fighters at its disposal, asserting that Israel would not be safe from their missiles and drones.
Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that Hezbollah fired about 170 rockets into northern and central Israel on Wednesday. One of these rockets killed 18-year-old Sivan Sade near the kibbutz of Kfar Masaryk. Other rocket strikes targeted locations near Tel Aviv, including a parking lot at Ben Gurion Airport and a vehicle in Raanana.
The escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, which began six weeks ago, has caused the deaths of over 2,400 people in Lebanon and displaced more than 1.2 million, according to Lebanese authorities. Since the outbreak of fighting, Israeli forces have heavily targeted Hezbollah positions, including the group’s leadership, as part of their military campaign in response to cross-border hostilities that began after Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
