Massacre in Lebanon as over 30 killed by overnight Israeli strike on Barja

Lebanon's civil defence service have pulled 30 bodies from the rubble of an apartment building that Israel struck overnight in the  town of Barja, south of Beirut, Lebanese authorities said late on Tuesday.

At least 14 people were wounded by the attack on the coastal town and it was unclear how many survivors or victims were still trapped under the rubble.

The strike targeted a residential building housing displaced people, resulting in a large fire which continued to rage hours after the strike, according to local media reports.

Civil defence official Mostafa Danaj told local media it was unclear how many survivors or bodies were still trapped under the rubble, and rescue operations were still ongoing.

"We hope that there isn’t anyone else, but the neighbours have said that there are still people missing," he said.

The area had not been regularly targeted by Israeli forces and the attack had come without  warning. It was not immediately clear what the intended target was.

Barja, a predominantly Sunni town, is situated over 20 kilometres south of Beirut in the Mount Lebanon Governorate.

Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on the southern Tyre city continued with two attacks in the early hours of Wednesday.

An Israeli aircraft targeted a building in the village of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr, north-east of the city, completely destroying it and damaging the cars parked nearby, according to Lebanese media.

Two missiles late on Tuesday targeted the southern border village of Khiam, causing a violent explosion that echoed across several southern areas.

Raids also continued on Tebnine, Beit Yahoun and Kouine near the town of Bint Jbeil.

Further north, a separate Israeli strike targeted a building used for supplying drinking water in the village fo Babliyeh, south of Saida, while another raid hit a house in the village of Baissariyeh.

The casualties from those attacks remains unknown. The health ministry announced late on Tuesday that the death toll from the war in Lebanon had risen to 3,013, with 13,553 more wounded. 

The L'Orient-Le Jour newspaper reported that more than 40,000 homes were destroyed and entire neighborhoods razed in 37 villages in the South.