BEIRUT: The Lebanese health ministry has said that Israeli attacks on Sunday killed around 21 people across southern Lebanon.
In a statement, the ministry said that around nine people were killed and 38 injured in an air strike on Haret Saida, near Sidon. It added that seven others including a health worker and three rescue officials were killed in the southern village of Ain Baal and around five in Burj Al-Shemali.
AFP reported that an attack on Haret Saida, about 60 km from the Israeli border, totally destroyed the top floor of a three-story compound.
Nearby compounds were also damaged in the attacks. AFP reported that the Lebanese military blocked access to the sector, which has become crowded with people fleeing other regions of south Lebanon since Israel launched its operation against Hezbollah in September. AFP reported that no warning to evacuate the area was given before Israel’s attack.
In Ain Baal area, the dead also included three rescuers working at a center run by a charity. The health ministry added that a nurse and three other persons who happened to be nearby were killed, the health ministry added.
Local media reported that Israel’s deadly drone strike at Burj Al-Shemali also struck near a school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Around 1,620 people have been killed in the war since September 23, AFP reported.
