Israeli Airstrike in Beirut Kills 31
The death toll from Friday’s Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburb has climbed to 31, the Lebanese health minister said on Saturday.
“Lebanon is witnessing a war crime, as was evident in the Israeli raid on the southern suburb,” Firas Al-Abiad said in a news conference.
Among the victims were seven women, three children aged four, six, and 10, and three Syrian nationals.
There are a significant number of unidentified body parts at the scene, complicating the identification of some victims.
The health minister reported that 68 individuals injured in the attack were transferred to hospitals across Beirut.
The Israeli army said it assassinated Hezbollah’s top military commander Ibrahim Aqil during the airstrike.
The strike marks the third attack by Israel on the southern suburb since an ongoing wave of hostilities began nearly a year ago.
The airstrike occurred amid a new wave of Israeli escalation in Lebanon.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that the conflict with Hezbollah has entered “a new phase.”