Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed at least 2,083 people and wounded 9,869 others since October 8, 2023, the Lebanese Health Ministry said on Monday.
The majority of the deaths occurred since mid-September, when Israel dramatically escalated its attacks on Lebanon, first by blowing up Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies, then by ramping up airstrikes.
The Health Ministry said since September 23, Israel has killed 1,251 people in Lebanon. The exact breakdown is unclear, but the casualties include many civilians, and over 100 children have been killed since September.
Al Jazeera reported Monday that Israel expanded its attacks on southern Lebanon and Dahiyeh, the southern suburb of Beirut that has been heavily targeted. One Israeli strike killed 10 fire fighters in the southern Lebanon town of Baraachit.
Hezbollah also fired a barrage of rockets into Israel on Monday, hitting an area near the port city of Haifa. At least 10 people were wounded by the Hezbollah attack, which marked the first strike on Haifa since Hezbollah and Israel began trading fire across the border last year.
Ground fighting between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters continues in south Lebanon. So far, Israel has confirmed that 11 of its soldiers have been killed on the ground.
Israel’s assault on Lebanon has put Irish soldiers stationed as part of the UN’s peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, in a dangerous situation. Reports say fighting between Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops took place just two kilometers from the Irish peacekeepers’ outpost, known as Post 6-52. Both the UN and Ireland have rejected an Israeli request to remove the peace keepers from the area.
