ISTANBUL: Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon have claimed 24 lives in the past 24 hours, as at least 52 towns and areas were targeted, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said on Thursday.
The deadliest attack targeted a residential building in the southern Lebanese town of Zrariyeh, killing 10 people including women and children, Anadolu Agency reported , citing the country’s official news agency.
Seven more were killed in a separate attack in Abbassiyeh, while three more were killed and five injured in Jibsheet.
In Borj Qallawiyeh, four paramedics were killed in an attack that also destroyed homes, shops, a mosque and a civil defense center.
Israeli attacks also hit dozens of other towns and villages in southern Lebanon including Bint Jbeil, Khiam, Tire Debba, Bazouriyeh, Kafra, Harouf, Tebnine and Touline.
In Beirut, Israeli warplanes attacked Shiite areas on the southern outskirts of the city for the second time in a matter of hours.
The incident came as Israeli forces continued an expanded offensive on Lebanon since Wednesday, killing more than 303 people and wounding 1,150 others, according to Lebanon’s Civil Defense.
The fighting continues despite a two-week ceasefire announced on Tuesday by the United States and Iran, brokered by Pakistan as part of efforts to reach a broader agreement to end the conflict that Washington and Tel Aviv launched against Tehran on Feb. 28.
While Islamabad and Tehran stated that the ceasefire also covers Lebanon, Washington and Tel Aviv denied it.
— BERNAMA-ANADOLU
