Lebanon says 60 killed in Israeli strikes last nightpublished at 08:15 Greenwich Mean Time
Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Beirut
Last
night, the Israeli military carried out intense airstrikes in Lebanon’s eastern
Bekaa Valley, an area where Hezbollah has a strong presence. The attacks
happened with no warning, and the Israeli military has yet to comment on what
was targeting.
The
Lebanese health ministry said at least 60 people were killed, including two
children, and more than 50 wounded. Images posted online showed extensive
destruction in some areas, and fires sparked by the attacks.
In
the town of Boudai, residents pleaded on social media for heavy equipment to be
sent to help rescue people believed to be trapped.
This morning, in the town of Chmistar, emergency teams continued to search the
rubble for five people were still missing.
Bachir
Khodr, the governor of Baalbek, called the strikes “the most violent” in his
region since Israel escalated its conflict with Hezbollah, last month.
The
Bekaa Valley has been repeatedly hit by the Israeli military in this war. The
area is a strategic route to Hezbollah’s allies in Syria and Iraq, and Iran,
its main supporter.
