57 killed in Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon

At least 57 people were killed and more than 50 injured on Wednesday in Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon, according to the National News Agency (NNA) and local media reports, said Xinhua.

Al-Jadeed TV reported that over 55 people died and more than 50 were wounded in a series of 33 Israeli airstrikes targeting towns and villages in the Bekaa and Baalbek-Hermel regions in eastern Lebanon.

The strikes included residential neighborhoods in Baalbek and the historic "Al-Manshiya" building, which was completely destroyed, according to Baalbek Mayor Mustafa al-Shal.

Baalbek was a significant religious center in the Roman Empire and is renowned for its temples dedicated to Jupiter and Bacchus, both listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites, along with several distinctive megaliths. The United Nations has expressed concern about the damage that Israeli airstrikes have inflicted on its valuable historic architecture.

In southern Lebanon, a separate airstrike killed one person in Ibl al-Saqi, while another civilian died in Bazourieh when a residential apartment was hit, the NNA said. Israeli forces also struck villages in Harouf, Beit Yahoun, Ansariyeh, Aadloun, Zrarieh, and Kunin in southern Lebanon.

In response, Hezbollah claimed to have launched attacks on Israel's Stella Maris naval base near Haifa using precision missiles and assault drones. It also reported targeting Kiryat Shmona and Israeli forces at the Al-Marj site in Wadi Hunayn, close to Lebanon's Markaba and Maroun al-Ras villages.

Since Sept. 23, the Israeli army has been launching an intensive air attack on Lebanon in a dangerous escalation with Hezbollah. In early October, Israel initiated a ground operation across its northern border into Lebanon.

The ongoing clashes between Israel and Hezbollah began on Oct. 8, 2023, when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in support of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, prompting retaliatory fire and airstrikes by Israel in southeastern Lebanon.

More than 3,000 Lebanese have died during Israeli airstrikes, with injuries exceeding 13,000, according to the tally of the Lebanese health ministry.