An Israeli air strike in northern Lebanon killed at least 21 people and injured 8 more, according to the Lebanese health ministry. The strike hit a residential structure in Aitou, a predominantly Christian community that is far from the regular regions where Israeli troops attack Hezbollah sites. Residents stated that a family displaced by continuing turmoil had lately moved inside the targeted building.
The Israeli military had no immediate response, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened the IDF will target Hezbollah nonstop across Lebanon. He said all actions follow operational considerations and the military’s efforts will continue in the coming days.
This assault came after Hezbollah launched a fatal drone attack on a military training site in northern Israel, killing four Israeli troops. The military is looking into how the drone evaded its formidable air defense systems. Hezbollah said the drone assault was in retribution for Israeli bombings in Lebanon, which had killed roughly 1,700 people in the previous month.
Israeli air strikes have mostly targeted southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley this week, but the Aitou strike shocked many. War-displaced inhabitants had recently moved to the neighborhood, when a massive bomb smashed through it without warning.
New inhabitants had apparently rented the building just weeks before the Israeli air strike in northern Lebanon. A Lebanese security source stated that the facility was attacked immediately after a man arrived in a car. The Lebanese health ministry has begun DNA testing to identify the bodies found at the location.
In response to the rising violence, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon said that peacekeepers in southern Lebanon will remain in place despite Israeli calls to leave. Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced that it had targeted over 200 Hezbollah installations the day before, raising regional tensions.
