Lebanon – The official Lebanese News Agency announced, on Friday, that 11 people were killed and 14 others were injured in Israeli raids that targeted the city of Baalbek and its surrounding villages in the east of the country yesterday, Thursday.
The agency reported that “the Israeli enemy continues to commit massacres against safe civilians in Baalbek and the villages of the district, which began yesterday morning by targeting the home of a citizen in the town of Budai, which led to his martyrdom along with his wife and their two children.”
The Israeli army also sent a new evacuation warning to Baalbek, Durrus, and An Borzai before two o’clock in the afternoon, and about two hours later, it launched a series of raids targeting residential buildings, leaving a massacre in the town of Maqna (in the northern part of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate), which was not included in the warning, according to the source. same.
The agency indicated that “the toll of the massacre in the town of Maqnah amounted to 6 martyrs from members of one family, and 6 wounded.”
She explained that the Israeli army targeted Baalbek with four simultaneous raids at the southern entrance to the city, destroying a house in the Al-Kayyal district, which led to the death of a woman and the injury of 5 citizens.
Hundreds of meters away towards the town of Durus, an Israeli raid destroyed a house in a residential neighborhood in the “Qasr al-Ulum” locality, damaging dozens of nearby buildings, shops, and institutions, and wounding 3 people with minor injuries.
She added that another Israeli raid destroyed a building in Dorris in the direction of the Al-Tadad neighborhood, near the Regional Center for Civil Defense and the Bekaa Region Command Building of the “Amal” movement, and the damage was limited to material things.
The agency highlighted that “the total number of Israeli raids on Baalbek-Hermel Governorate and the Central Bekaa Governorate reached 1,35, resulting in 528 martyrs and 1,069 wounded.”
After clashes with factions in Lebanon, which began after Israel launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, resulting in the killing and wounding of more than 144,000 Palestinians, Tel Aviv has expanded the scope of genocide since last September 23 to include most regions of Lebanon, including the capital, Beirut, via Air strikes, and a ground invasion began in its south.
The aggression against Lebanon resulted in a total of 2,865 dead and 13,047 wounded, including a large number of children and women, in addition to about 1,400,000 displaced people. Most of the victims and displaced persons were recorded after September 23, according to Anatolia’s monitoring of the latest official Lebanese data announced until Thursday evening. .
Every day, the Lebanese factions respond by launching missiles, drones, and artillery shells targeting military sites, intelligence headquarters, military gatherings, and settlements. While Israel announces some of its human and material losses, military censorship imposes a strict blackout on most of the losses, according to observers.
Anatolia
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**Interview with Dr. Samira Al-Hakim, Middle East Political Analyst**
**Interviewer:** Dr. Al-Hakim, thank you for joining us today. We’ve seen significant developments in Baalbek, Lebanon, with reports of tragic civilian casualties due to Israeli airstrikes. Can you provide some context to this situation?
**Dr. Al-Hakim:** Thank you for having me. The airstrikes in Baalbek are part of an ongoing escalation in tensions between Israel and various factions in Lebanon, particularly Hezbollah. The strikes appear to be a targeted response to perceived threats but have resulted in devastating consequences for civilians. The loss of eleven lives, including an entire family, is particularly tragic and highlights the dire humanitarian impact of these military actions.
**Interviewer:** The Israeli military has issued evacuation warnings to certain areas. Why do you think they are taking this approach now?
**Dr. Al-Hakim:** Issuing evacuation warnings can serve multiple purposes for the military. On one hand, it seeks to minimize civilian casualties and is often presented as a precautionary measure. However, it can also be seen as a way to justify aggressive military actions against specific targets, portraying them as necessary for the security of Israel. Nonetheless, many argue that these warnings often come too late, especially when attacks are carried out even in areas not previously marked for evacuation.
**Interviewer:** The reports have described the destruction of homes and infrastructure. What does this mean for the residents of Baalbek and surrounding villages?
**Dr. Al-Hakim:** The destruction of homes and infrastructure has long-term ramifications. It displaces families, disrupts essential services, and exacerbates an already difficult humanitarian situation. Baalbek, being a region with deep historical and cultural significance, now faces not only the immediate loss of life but also the psychological trauma associated with such violence. Reconstruction will take time, resources, and, most importantly, stability — something that remains elusive in the current environment.
**Interviewer:** With the ongoing violence, what do you see as the potential next steps for both Israel and Lebanon?
**Dr. Al-Hakim:** The situation is precarious. If the violence continues, we may see an escalation, possibly involving greater military engagement from either side. On the other hand, there are calls for dialogue and negotiation, though these seem unlikely in the short term. International actors may need to intervene to broker some form of ceasefire or humanitarian assistance to address the urgent needs of civilians affected by this conflict.
**Interviewer:** Thank you, Dr. Al-Hakim. Your insights are invaluable as we try to understand the complexities of this ongoing situation.
**Dr. Al-Hakim:** Thank you for having me. It’s crucial that we remain informed and mindful of the human cost of conflict.
