An Israeli airstrike on the town of Younine in northeastern Lebanon has resulted in a tragic loss of life, with the death toll rising to 23 individuals. The victims were all members of a Syrian family, including women and children, who were day-laborers along with their wives and children. The strike, which occurred around midnight on Thursday, targeted a building near a gas station, leaving eight others injured, including the Lebanese owner of the building.
The mayor of Younine, Ali Al-Kassas, confirmed that the Syrians were renting the building and stated that he was not aware of any connections to Hezbollah. In a display of resilience, municipal authorities managed to rescue a young boy from the rubble following an overnight effort.
Tragically, the violence continued in southern Lebanon, where three individuals lost their lives in Israeli airstrikes in the Tyre district, with 17 others sustaining injuries, as reported by the ministry of public health. The ongoing conflict has had a devastating impact on the region, particularly on the vulnerable Syrian refugee population.
More than a million Syrians have sought refuge in Lebanon to escape the horrors of war in their homeland. Despite the challenges, the Lebanese authorities have shown some leniency towards those entering the country illegally, with many hundreds of thousands of refugees remaining unregistered and living in precarious conditions.
