Twelve people were killed and at least 23 others injured in air strikes carried out by the Israeli occupation on areas in southern and eastern Lebanon at dawn on Wednesday, marking a fresh escalation that reflects a disregard for international law and the rights of civilians.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that raids on the areas of Aramoun and Saadiyat in Mount Lebanon, south of Beirut, resulted in an initial toll of six dead and eight wounded. Meanwhile, the number of victims in the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon rose to six killed and 15 injured following the targeting of a four-storey residential building. Ambulance and rescue teams continue to remove rubble and search for missing persons, particularly on the ground floor of the building.
The occupation also struck a hotel in the Hazmieh area east of Beirut. It was the first such raid on this predominantly Christian district, located near the Presidential Palace, the Military Academy and several foreign embassies.
In the south, the strikes targeted the towns of Srifa, Shaqra, Jmaijmeh, Tayri and Kounine in the Bint Jbeil district, resulting in a number of injuries, with the wounded transferred to hospitals in the city of Tyre.
Accordingly, the number of Lebanese casualties since dawn on Monday until dawn on Wednesday has risen to at least 62 killed and 357 wounded, according to official figures.
The continued targeting of civilians, residential buildings and infrastructure constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits attacks against civilians or their use as instruments of military pressure, and obliges an occupying power to ensure the protection of civilians and allow medical assistance to reach them.
Any attacks on densely populated civilian areas are classified as war crimes under the Geneva Conventions. Preventing medical teams from accessing victims or removing rubble further reflects a disregard for the rules safeguarding civilian protection and the sanctity of human life.
International law stipulates that those responsible for such violations bear international criminal accountability, including military and political leaders who authorise or order these attacks.
The current escalation in Lebanon reflects a deepening humanitarian tragedy, as civilians face the ongoing threat of death, injury and the loss of their homes and vital infrastructure, making respect for international law and human rights an urgent necessity to halt violations and protect civilians.
