Israeli Attacks in Various Regions of Lebanon Leave Over 50 Dead

Lebanese officials have reported additional casualties from Israeli airstrikes, while areas in Israel were also targeted by missile and rocket attacks. The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced on Thursday evening, December 1, that Israeli airstrikes in eastern and southern Lebanon, as well as southern Beirut, resulted in 52 deaths. According to this report, the highest number of casualties occurred on Thursday in Baalbek and its surroundings in eastern Lebanon, with a total of 39 dead and over 50 injured. The Ministry of Health stated that the city of Nabha had 11 deaths, while the villages of Flawi and Maqneh had 10 and 6 deaths, respectively, making them the areas with the most casualties in the Baalbek region. The Lebanese official news agency reported that the six people killed in the village of Maqneh were a family, including a father and mother along with their four children. The remaining victims of Thursday's attacks were from the Nabatieh province in southern Lebanon, which included seven dead and 24 injured, and areas in the southern province, which included five dead and 26 injured. On Thursday, the southern suburbs of Beirut, known as Dahieh, were once again targeted by airstrikes after several relatively calm days. According to Agence France-Presse, while Amos Hochstein, the U.S. special envoy, was visiting the region, Dahieh was hit at least 12 times on Thursday. Avichai Adraee, a spokesperson for the Israeli army, issued warnings on social media about civilians moving away from certain areas of Dahieh and also areas inside and around the city of Tyre. Video footage from Agence France-Presse shows thick columns of smoke rising from the southern suburbs of Beirut. Israel claims that it targeted facilities related to Hezbollah in these attacks. On the other hand, rocket and missile attacks on various regions of Israel continued on Thursday, resulting in at least one death. According to Israel's emergency services, a man was killed following a rocket attack from Lebanon on the Galilee region in northern Israel. Israeli media reported that initial reports indicated the man was killed by a piece of missile debris. Several others were also injured or harmed as a result of this attack. In another report, Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed group, claimed it targeted the Hatzor airbase near the city of Ashdod in southern Israel with a missile attack. The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has been largely confined to border areas for about 11 months, but for the past two months, Israel has conducted limited ground operations in southern Lebanon and heavy airstrikes on Beirut.