Six people killed, 11 wounded in Israeli strikes on Lebanon’s Baalbek, ministry says

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Israeli airstrikes on the village of Khreibeh in the Baalbek District of eastern Lebanon killed six people on Saturday, including three children, and injured 11 others, the Lebanese health ministry said.

Among the injured were five children, two of whom were in critical condition, the ministry said.

Strikes earlier on Saturday killed two medics in south Lebanon, including one in Borj Rahal and another in Kfartebnit, and injured four other rescue workers, with two still missing, the ministry said.

Israeli airstrikes also targeted areas of the southern suburbs of Beirut controlled by the Iran-backed group Hezbollah for a fifth consecutive day, with at least 15 strikes on Saturday, according to two security sources.

The Israeli military said the attacks were directed at Hezbollah infrastructure, including a weapons storage facility and a command centre.

A soldier was killed during combat in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military said on Saturday.

There was no word yet from Lebanese authorities on casualties in the strikes on the capital’s southern suburbs.

Israel launched its ground and air offensive against Hezbollah in late September after almost a year of cross-border hostilities in parallel with the Gaza war. It says it aims to secure the return home of tens of thousands of Israelis forced to evacuate from northern Israel under Hezbollah fire.

Israel’s campaign has dealt heavy blows to Hezbollah. It has also forced more than a million Lebanese to flee their homes, creating a humanitarian crisis.

Lebanon’s health ministry says Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,452 people through Friday since Oct. 7, 2023, most since late September. It does not distinguish between civilian casualties and fighters.

Israel says Hezbollah attacks have killed about 100 civilians and soldiers in northern Israel, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and southern Lebanon over the last year.

(Reporting by Riham Alkousaa; Additional reporting by Enas Alashray; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Frances Kerry)