69 killed in Israeli airstrikes on eastern, southern Lebanon

Israeli airstrikes on eastern and southern Lebanon on Friday and Saturday morning have killed at least 69 people and injured 126 others, reported Xinhua, quoting local authorities.

The Public Health Emergency Operations Center under the Ministry of Public Health said in a statement that Israeli raids on the Baalbek-Hermel governorate in eastern Lebanon have resulted in 52 deaths and 72 wounded.

As for southern Lebanon, the Israeli raids and shelling continued Saturday, killing at least 17 and injuring 54, according to the head of the Tyre District Medical Department at the Ministry of Health, Wissam Ghazal.

A report released by the Disaster Management Unit at the Lebanese Council of Ministers reported that in the past 24 hours, 120 air raids were recorded in areas in the south, Nabatieh, the southern suburb of Beirut, and Baalbek in the east of the country, bringing the total number of raids since Oct. 8, 2023, to 11,767.

For its part, Hezbollah issued a series of statements on Saturday announcing that its fighters attacked several Israeli forces and settlements with suicide drones and missile salvos.

The attacks included the Glilot base of the 8200 military intelligence unit in the suburbs of Tel Aviv, Israel's Palmachim Airbase in southern Tel Aviv, and several Israeli settlements.

Since Sept. 23, the Israeli army has been conducting an unprecedented, intensive air attack on Lebanon in a dangerous escalation with Hezbollah.

Since Oct. 8, 2023, Hezbollah and the Israeli army have been exchanging fire across the Lebanese-Israeli border amid fears of a broader conflict as the war between Hamas and Israel continues in the Gaza Strip.