Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Wednesday that Israeli attacks on Lebanon killed 22 people and wounded 80 in the previous 24-hour period as Israeli strikes continued to pound the country.
Strikes on Wednesday included an attack on the southern village of Derdghaiya, which killed five rescue workers. Lebanon’s state civil defense agency said they “were killed in an Israeli strike that targeted the civil defense center in the village of Derdghaiya as they were inside on the alert to receive emergency calls.”
Israel has repeatedly targeted Lebanese first responders over the past year. Ten firefighters were killed by Israeli strikes on Monday, bringing the total number of rescue workers Israel has killed in Lebanon since last October to over 100.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said that the latest violence has brought the total number of people killed in Lebanon since October 8, 2023, to 2,141 and the number of wounded to 10,099. At least 1,323 people, including over 100 children and many other civilians, have been killed since September 23.
Also on Wednesday, Hezbollah fired at least 150 rockets into northern Israel and killed two Israeli civilians in the northern town of Kiryat Shmona. The incident marked the first time Israeli civilians were killed by a Hezbollah attack since early August when an errant Israeli interceptor struck a student.
Hezbollah has been able to step up its rocket attacks on Israel despite the massive Israeli bombardment in Lebanon, and invading Israeli troops have faced stiff resistance on the ground. It’s estimated that 15,000 Israeli troops have entered southern Lebanon.
The US initially claimed it sought a ceasefire in Lebanon but now opposes the idea and has expressed strong public support for Israel’s military operations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened Lebanon would face the same destruction as Gaza if the Lebanese people don’t “free” the country from Hezbollah.