More than a quarter of Lebanon’s population is under evacuation orders from Israel right now, as the invasion of the country continues to escalate. At least 1.2 million people have been displaced by those orders, but fleeing out of evacuation areas and into areas without those orders provides little protection from the attacks.
The town of Haret Saida, a southern Lebanon town near Sidon, underscores that perfectly. The town’s residential areas have been attacked no less than three times in the past week, despite it not being covered in any of the evacuation orders. Today’s attack killed at least three civilians and wounded nine others.
Israel’s evacuation orders have been increasingly broad, most recently covering the entire Baalbek region in the east. It is unclear why they keep attacking Haret Saida and still haven’t covered it in any of those orders.
Last Sunday, Israel attacked an apartment in Haret Saida and killed nine civilians, including a child. The town had reportedly absorbed some 17,000 displaced people from nearby areas who were ordered to evacuate. The dense population in the town is making attacks that even more dangerous.
Tuesday, they attacked the town again, and killed at least five people, wounding 33 others. All the casualties in all the attacks have been reportedly civilians. There have been no comments from the IDF about any of their strikes on Haret Saida.
Rescue teams are still at the scene of today’s attack, and the toll of dead and wounded may rise further. There were already reports that one girl was rescued from the apartment and is still alive.
