The scene of an Israeli drone strike in western Bekaa on March 24, 2024. (Credit: Sent by a security source to L’Orient Today)
One person was killed Sunday in an Israeli strike on a vehicle on a road in the village of Soueiri, in the western Bekaa, local and security sources told our correspondent in the region, Sarah Abdallah.
The attack followed overnight Israeli strikes on the Baalbeck region, which has been targeted four times since Hezbollah entered the Israel-Hamas war in support of Hamas from south Lebanon on Oct. 8.
One person killed
The targeted vehicle, blue in colour, was carrying food products. Its driver, named locally as Mohammad Besbos, a Syrian who lives in Soueiri and works at a supermarket in the village, was killed in the strike, according to security sources. According to our correspondent, the car targeted does not belong to this man.
This was the first strike on the western Bekaa since fighting between Hezbollah and Israel began on Oct. 8, our correspondent noted.
Overnight strikes on Baalbeck
The attack came hours after overnight strikes on the Baalbeck region, a Hezbollah stronghold in eastern Lebanon. The Israeli army claims to have targeted "a production site containing weapons" on Saturday night.
According to an AFP correspondent, "the Israeli air force fired five missiles at a two-storey residential building in al-Osseira, on the outskirts of Baalbeck," injuring three residents of neighboring buildings. This figure was also confirmed by our correspondent and the governor of the region, Bachir Khodr.
For several weeks now, Israel has been launching air raids deep into Lebanese territory against Hezbollah positions, raising fears of a wider-scale conflict in Lebanon.