Israeli strikes kill four in eastern Lebanon, as scores flee into Syria

Israeli strikes killed four people and wounded three others in eastern Lebanon, according to local media on Monday.

The killings took place in the Bekaa Valley’s town of Mashghara, the National News Agency (NNA) reported, while strikes targeted other areas overnight, including Jebchit, Tefahta, Khiam, Burj al-Muluk, Jouaiya, Halousiya, Qlaileh and Deir Qanon.

In another strike, Israeli fighter jets targeted a home on the outskirts of the Burj Rahal village, with material damage in the area.

Early on Monday, Hezbollah announced it had fired rockets at the town of Safed, located close to the Lebanon border, triggering warning sirens.

Meanwhile, Israel’s military claimed that Hezbollah commander Abu Ali Rida was killed in a strike on the Baraachit area in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military claimed he "directed and executed" attacks on Israeli forces and commanded Hezbollah fighters in the region. 

Rida "was responsible for planning and executing rocket and anti-tank missile attacks on [Israeli military] troops and oversaw the terrorist activities of Hezbollah operatives in the area", the military said in a statement.

This comes after Israeli forces killed two paramedics in an assault on a health facility in southern Bazouriyeh on Sunday.

"The Israeli enemy targeted a positioning point for the Islamic Health Association in Bazouriye," Lebanon’s ministry of health said in a statement.

The attack brought the number of healthcare workers killed by Israel since the launch of the war on Gaza and Lebanon in October 2023 to 180.

Forced displacement

The Israeli attacks have continued to displace people across Lebanon, with over one million people being forced to leave their homes since the start of hostilities.

According to the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, around 472,000 people have crossed from Lebanon into Syria since 23 September, when Israel ramped up its attacks on Lebanon.

The figure includes around 216,369 Syrians who had fled to Lebanon due to the outbreak of the civil war in Syria and around 32,829 Lebanese refugees.

Many of those who have fled to Syria have been forcibly displaced from southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces have carried out strikes on an almost daily basis.

Israel’s attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 2,968 people and wounded over 13,319 others since October 2023.