(RT) Multiple media outlets have reported that an Israeli airstrike on northern Lebanon on Monday killed 23 members of the same family and severely injured six others. The strike targeted a small apartment building in the village of Aito, a predominantly Christian area far from Hezbollah’s main strongholds.
The Israel Defense Forces began ground operations in Lebanon late last month. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, over 2,200 people have lost their lives in Lebanon since October 2023, following the escalation of cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah after the outbreak of the Gaza conflict.
Authorities in Beirut report that approximately 1.2 million people have been displaced across Lebanon. On Tuesday, the state-run National News Agency confirmed that 23 refugees from southern Lebanon were killed in the Israeli airstrike on the village of Aito the previous day.
PBS Middle East correspondent Leila Molana-Allen stated that all 23 victims belonged to the same family, with six others critically injured but alive. She noted that the family had fled to northern Lebanon after Israeli forces “relentlessly bombarded” their Shiite village in the south, only to be struck again in their place of refuge. “Nearly an entire family line was wiped out in an instant,” she remarked.
Arab News echoed similar reports, with a local MP alleging that one of the family members killed in the strike had ties to Hezbollah.
In a statement, Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), reported that 12 women and two children were among the 22 fatalities. He suggested the airstrike may constitute a violation of international humanitarian law, particularly regarding the “laws of war and principles of distinction, proportion, and proportionality.” Laurence emphasized the need for “a prompt, independent, and thorough investigation” into the attack.
When asked about the strike, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller expressed concern over the civilian casualties but refrained from commenting on the specifics of the incident. “The loss of civilian life is deeply troubling,” Miller said, adding that the U.S. had communicated its concerns to the Israeli government.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s acting leader, Naim Kassem, vowed to escalate missile attacks on key Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv and Haifa, in response to the ongoing conflict.
Source: RT.COM
