The death toll resulting from two Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon has now reached 10, as reported by Lebanese state media on Thursday.
This marks the deadliest day in over four months of cross-border clashes. Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, has pledged to retaliate against Wednesday’s airstrikes in Nabatiyeh and a southern village, following the killing of an Israeli soldier by projectiles from Lebanon, AP reported.
On Thursday, additional Israeli strikes were reported in southern Lebanon, prompting condemnation from Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who emphasised the need for calm.
“At a time where we are insisting on calm and call all sides to not escalate, we find the Israeli enemy extending its aggression,” read a statement from his office.
The strike in Nabatiyeh, which claimed seven lives, including a child, led to a plea for de-escalation.
The state-run National News Agency reported that part of a building collapsed, resulting in the tragic loss of seven family members. A boy initially reported missing was later found alive under the rubble, contrary to initial reports suggesting four casualties.
As reported by AP, Hussein Badir, a neighbor of the Berjawi family that was killed in the strike, shared his perspective, stating that he and other neighbors rushed to the street to dig through the rubble.
He described the affected family as “decent and respectable” and emphasized that they were “not involved in anything.” For Badir, the strike brought back memories of Israeli bombardment during its 2006 war with Hezbollah and also during a 1996 offensive.
