Israel expanded its airstrikes across southern Lebanon, killing 16 people, including Nabatieh Mayor Ahmed Kahil. The attack occurred Wednesday during a meeting at the city’s municipal headquarters. The airstrike targeted a crisis committee coordinating aid for residents and those displaced by the conflict.
Rescue teams worked throughout the day to recover survivors trapped under the rubble. According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, the attacks also injured 52 people.
Israel kills two members of Nabatieh town council, president Dr. Ahmed Kahil and Sadeq Ismail, alongside several other people present at the building the moment of the airstrike. pic.twitter.com/gqBEkoPj0e
— Ali Hashem علي هاشم (@alihashem_tv) October 16, 2024
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the strikes, accusing Israel of deliberately targeting municipal officials who were meeting to organize humanitarian aid. The Israeli Defense Forces took responsibility for the strikes, stating they were aimed at Hezbollah positions embedded in civilian areas.
In addition to the attacks on Nabatieh, Israeli forces hit other locations across Lebanon, including the southern suburbs of Beirut and the village of Qana, a site of previous deadly strikes. The Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah command centers, weapons caches, and missile launch sites. In response, Hezbollah fired more than 90 projectiles into northern Israel, injuring four civilians.
6 air raids targeted Qana’s square, leading to 10 martyrs and 15 injuries.
My grandpa’s house is gone and I don’t know the state of my friend pic.twitter.com/TQBsz4RogH— okok (@okok86072) October 15, 2024
The United Nations and other international organizations expressed concerns over the rising civilian casualties. The U.N.’s human rights office called for investigations into Israel’s recent airstrikes, including one that killed 24 people in Aitou, northern Lebanon, earlier in the week.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the strikes had successfully weakened Hezbollah’s capabilities by gathering intelligence. Meanwhile, the Lebanese government and several Western countries have called for an immediate ceasefire, which has not yet been agreed upon.
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