Men clean the reported site of an Israeli strike on vehicles in the southern Lebanese village of Shehabiya on April 16, 2024. (Credit: Hassan Fneich/AFP)
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Catch up on yesterday’s LIVE coverage of Day 193 of the Gaza war here.
Israeli strikes targeting cars in southern Lebanon killed at least four people, three of whom were Hezbollah members and the fourth an Amal Movement member, and injured two civilians. Israel’s drone strikes targeting cars in Shehabieh (Sour) killed at least two people, one of whom was confirmed by Hezbollah to have been one of its fighters. Israeli bombardment killed one person and injured two others after targeting a car in Ain Baal (Sour), a security source told L’Orient Today’s correspondent in the region. Hezbollah announced the death of one of its fighters in the strike, a field commander according to the Israeli army, while a Lebanese security source said the two people wounded were civilians. The same day, Hezbollah claimed to have inflicted casualties with a drone strike targeting an Israeli air defense system, Iron Dome. Israeli media Haaretz confirmed at least three people were injured by a drone attack. Israel has often targeted vehicles in its drone and airstrike assassinations against Hezbollah and other parties. Such attacks have repeatedly injured and killed civilian bystanders.
Azzounieh (Aley) residents held a sit-in calling for a rapid investigation into the killing of a 60-year-old man in the village overnight. The circumstances of the killing remain unclear, while local media reports linked it to a burglary and claimed the victim was strangled and tortured. Azzounieh mukhtar Fawzi Imad denied reports that the crime was perpetrated by Syrian workers. The killing of Lebanese Forces (LF) official Pascal Sleiman spurned anti-Syrian sentiment across Lebanon over the past week, after a year of discriminatory policies, attempts at mass deportation and official rhetoric pinning crime rates on the displaced population.
At least 33,843 people have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the latest figures from the enclave’s health ministry. The United Nations Palestine Refugee agency (UNRWA) found no “significant change to the volume of humanitarian aid” entering the enclave despite an Israeli vow to step-up transfers – amid international pressure and a US ultimatum after multiple reports of Palestinians starving to death while tons of aid remain stuck due to Israel’s regulations and continued onslaught. International protests against the war in Gaza included a pro-Palestinian group blocking the San Fransisco Golden Gate bridge and Israeli artists’ refusal to open their Venice Biennale pavilion before a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel takes place.
In case you missed it, here’s our must-read story from yesterday: “After Iran’s drone attack, Hezbollah is preparing for all scenarios”
Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz