The waterfront of Sour, southern Lebanon, bombed by Israeli aircraft, Oct. 28, 2024. (Credit: Stringer/Reuters)
At least seven Israeli airstrikes hit the ancient city of Sour in southern Lebanon on Monday afternoon, an hour after the Israeli army ordered an evacuation of large areas of the city. Sour has been the focus of intense and deadly airstrikes in recent days, with this marking the second time in five days that the Israeli military has threatened significant parts of the city center.
According to our correspondent in the region, the bombardment targeted an apartment on Furn Bahr Street, preceded by a “warning” strike launched by an Israeli drone. A second strike hit the seafront. Photos obtained by our correspondent from residents show thick smoke blanketing the area, while amateur videos filmed from the town’s outskirts capture at least two additional strikes, one landing near an archaeological site.
Between two archaeological sites
Shortly before 1 p.m., Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued a warning on X, urging residents within the area bordered by Ali Khalil, Hiram, Mohammad Zayyat, and Nabih Berri streets to evacuate north toward the Awali River, north of Saida. “Anyone in the vicinity of Hezbollah members, installations, and weaponry is risking his or her life,” Adraee added.
The map accompanying the warning marks the threatened area in red, covering a broader zone than last Wednesday’s evacuation order in the same city. To the east, it reaches the edge of the Hippodrome archaeological site, a Roman circus dating to the first century A.D. and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The southern boundary follows Nabih Berri Street, the official name of the promenade along the city’s southern seafront. To the west, the marked area includes a block with another archaeological site containing Roman baths and the ancient Egyptian port.
Sour's district in the crosshairs
Following the Israeli army's threats, members of the Sour municipality's Civil Defense and al-Risala Scouts, the medical association affiliated with the Amal Movement, had scoured the streets of the area, calling on residents to "leave immediately," according to information from our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
Following the Israeli army’s threats, members of Sour’s Civil Defense and al-Risala Scouts, the medical association affiliated with the Amal Movement, drove through the area, urging residents to “leave immediately,” via speakers, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
At dawn, a bombardment in the al-Ramel neighborhood of the city, conducted without prior warning, killed seven people and injured 17 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
The Sour district has faced heavy bombardment since the early hours of Monday, with strikes targeting Rmadiyeh, an area near the Baflay cemetery, a house in Shaaitieh, as well as Qlayleh, Shamaa and the area between Halloussieh and Deir Qanoun al-Nahr.
Numerous deaths in the Bekaa and southern Lebanon
In the Bekaa, the Israeli army targeted a home in Brital, previously hit four days ago by a missile that failed to explode. Today’s strike killed two people and injured four others, according to our correspondent in the region.
Israeli strikes also left three dead in Taraya (a man, his wife, and another person), two killed and eight injured in Hellanieh, one killed and five injured in Chmestar, three dead in Ram, and one injured in Sarain — all in the Baalbek district — according to local and security sources cited by our correspondent. In the evening, an attack on Hadath, west of Baalbek, killed two people. In Southern Lebanon, two people were killed by an Israeli strike in Rmadieh (Sour district).
