Lebanon local official says 19 killed in Israeli strike on family's home

At slightest 19 people, including six women and 5 children, were killed successful an Israeli onslaught connected a location successful confederate Lebanon connected Tuesday, a section charismatic has said.

Suad Hammoud told nan BBC that nan dormant included erstwhile schoolhouse main Ahmed Ezzedine and 3 generations of his family, who each lived successful nan three-storey building successful nan colony of Teffahta.

The village’s imam, Sheikh Abdo Abo Rayya, was killed while stepping adjacent nan location astatine nan clip of nan onslaught on pinch 2 passers-by, she added.

The Israeli subject has not yet commented connected nan incident, but it has many times said it takes measures to mitigate harm to civilians.

Ms Hammoud said Wednesday’s onslaught successful Teffahta happened aft nan ceremonial for Ahmed Ezzedine’s relative and brother-in-law, Khodr, who was killed successful an Israeli aerial onslaught successful nan neighbouring colony of Marwanieh connected Monday.

But she said a study by nan state-run National News Agency (NNA) that nan onslaught had targeted a aftermath for mourners to definitive their condolences was incorrect.

“Only nan house's residents were there. They came backmost aft nan funeral. There were nary strangers there,” she said.

“People are alert that nan circumstances do not let them offering condolences successful person, truthful location are nary wakes successful nan colony anymore.”

Also wrong nan location pinch Mr Ezzedine were his wife, sister, daughters, daughter-in-law, sons-in-law and his grandchildren, she said.

Mr Ezzedine lived connected nan crushed floor, while his children and their families lived connected nan precocious floors. But everyone is believed to person been connected nan crushed level erstwhile nan location was hit.

A video posted connected societal media showed soon afterwards showed a immense plume of fume rising from a hillside successful Teffahta wherever nan location was located.

On Wednesday morning, Lebanese TV broadcast footage of a heap of rubble and twisted metallic that erstwhile made up nan precocious floors.

The Lebanese wellness ministry has not reported really galore group were killed successful nan strike. But Ms Hammoud and Teffahta’s organization Facebook account put nan decease toll astatine 19.

The Facebook relationship named nan 5 children arsenic Mohammed Yassin, Ahmed and Malak Ezzedine, and Sara and Mohammed Kinyar, and nan six women arsenic Zaineb, Malak, Hadiya, Fadiya and Fatima Ezzedine and Zaina Taleb.

Sheikh Abo Rayya was stepping adjacent nan location astatine nan clip of nan strike, according to Ms Hammoud.

“The houses successful nan colony aren't isolated, they're very adjacent to 1 another,” she said, adding that different 2 men identified by nan Facebook relationship arsenic Rabih Younes and Hussein Saleh were besides apt to person been passers-by killed by nan explosion.

A comparative of Sheikh Abo Rayya told nan BBC that onslaught happened astatine astir 17:10 section time, astir 15 minutes aft nan funeral.

They insisted that nan sheikh was not nan target, noting that nan location had been “obliterated”.

“Sheikh Abdo was conscionable passing by nan house. He wasn't wrong nan house. He was connected his measurement to nan mosque pinch his companion. They were going to prayers,” they said.

“The imam was going down nan elevation and nan unit activity blew him away. He didn't dice immediately. He was injured and died astatine nan infirmary astir 5 hours later.”

Last week, nan UN quality authorities agency received reports that 12 women and 2 children were among 23 group killed successful an Israeli aerial onslaught connected a four-storey residential building successful nan bluish Lebanese municipality of Aitou.

It called for an investigation into nan attack, expressing concerns pinch respect to world humanitarian law, including nan principles of favoritism and proportionality.

The Israeli subject said it “struck a target belonging to nan Hezbollah violent organisation”.

Israel’s launched an aerial run and crushed penetration against Hezbollah aft almost a twelvemonth of cross-border fighting sparked by nan warfare successful Gaza, saying it wanted to guarantee nan safe return of tens of thousands of residents of Israeli separator areas displaced by rocket attacks.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into bluish Israel successful support of Palestinians connected 8 October 2023, nan time aft its state Hamas’s deadly onslaught connected Israel.

More than 2,500 group person been killed successful Lebanon since then, including 1,900 successful nan past 5 weeks, according to nan country’s wellness ministry. Israeli authorities opportunity 59 group person been killed successful bluish Israel and nan occupied Golan Heights.