The civilian death toll in Lebanon continues to escalate during the ongoing Israeli invasion as airstrikes hit civilian targets with no apparent military connections. On Tuesday, such an attack took place in the town of Tefahta, a southern town just north of the city of Tyre. Tyre, itself, has been under continued intense attack from Israel.
The Tefahta attack targeted the three-story family home of former school principal Ahmed Ezzedine. He and his extended family were gathered there after the funeral for his brother-in-law who had been killed Monday in the village of Marwanieh in an earlier Israeli airstrike.
In Tuesday’s attack, 19 civilians were killed, nearly all members of Ezzedine’s family, including women and several children. Three passersby were also killed in the strike, including Sheikh Abdo Abo Rayya, the local imam. An unspecified number of civilians were wounded as well.
Israel has not commented on the Tefahta strike nor provided any indication why a civilian home was targeted. Israel attacks civilian homes daily, in Lebanon and elsewhere, but gives little priority to offering any pretext for these devastating actions.
Israel invaded Lebanon on September 23. Since then, thousands have been killed, including many civilians, and more than a million have been displaced from their homes. The international community has urged Israel to scale back the strikes to reduce civilian casualties, but there is no indication this is even being contemplated.
