Rescue workers clear rubble after an Israeli strike on a residential building in Barja, Nov. 6, 2024. (Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP)
The town of Barja, located on the Chouf coast about 20 kilometers south of Beirut, awoke Wednesday in shock after a deadly Israeli strike the day before, and is now deeply concerned about its safety, according to local testimonies.
A residential building housing displaced families and local residents was partially destroyed in the strike, which killed 20 people and injured 14, according to the Health Ministry. The target of the attack is believed to have been a Hezbollah member present at the scene, as reported by local media and residents. This marks the second time Barja has been targeted since the intensification of Israel’s offensive in Lebanon began in late September.
A Hezbollah member targeted?
According to the Lebanese daily Al Liwaa, the intended target may have been Abdallah Ibrahim, a financial official in the Shiite party. The news site Janoubia, known for its anti-Hezbollah stance, also reported that the strike targeted “a Hezbollah official from the Ibrahim family … who had rented an apartment in Barja.” “Large quantities of burned euro and dollar banknotes” were reportedly found at the scene, Janoubia adds, citing an eyewitness. A Hezbollah spokesperson was not immediately available to comment on these allegations. The Internal Security Forces reported having no information on the attack or its intended target.
View of the building targeted by the Israeli army in Barja on Tuesday evening. (Credit: Jamal Terro)
The first Israeli strike in Barja was on Oct. 12, an assault that killed at least four people and wounded 18. The Saudi news channel al-Hadath reported that the building targeted in October allegedly housed a Hezbollah office.
“We didn’t sleep at all last night. No one truly knows what transpired, but some claim the target was a man inside the building,” Hassan Saad, the president of the Barja municipal council, told L’Orient-Le Jour. Saad noted that the building sheltered three displaced families. He also urged “those who know they are threatened or targeted by Israel to stay away from civilians,” an unmistakable reference to Hezbollah members. “We must ensure our own safety and that of the displaced,” he added.
Footage circulating on social media Tuesday night revealed heightened tensions at the strike site, with a crowd gathered among the debris. Some online accounts alleged that local residents had confronted Hezbollah members attempting to secure the area: A version of events disputed by the municipal council president. “It was nothing. People were in shock,” he said, without further elaboration.
‘The enemy is seeking to sow discord’
“The strike occurred after a man had entered the building,” added Jamal Terro, an activist from Barja. He reported that the victims’ bodies were torn apart by the force of the attack, with numerous human remains, including those of several children, found at the scene.
Jamal Terro, who took part in the rescue efforts Tuesday night, condemned what he described as an Israeli intent “to cause as many casualties as possible.” “Without justifying the strike, I wonder why the Israeli state waited until the target entered a residential building instead of hitting them, for instance, on the road,” he questioned. “It’s clear that the enemy intended a massacre and is trying to sow discord between residents and the displaced,” he remarked.
Barja currently shelters more than 27,000 displaced people from southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and the southern suburbs of Beirut since the intensification of the Israeli offensive. The displaced are housed in local schools and private homes, all coordinated by the residents of this town of 40,000 people.
Barja, a predominantly Sunni town, is not the only area in the Chouf recently affected by Israeli strikes. On Tuesday, the coastal town of Jiyyeh was also hit by shelling, killing one person and injuring 20 in a residential building. A security source informed AFP that the target was an apartment reportedly used by Hezbollah.
Tuesday night’s attack echoes an Israeli strike on Oct.14 on the village of Aito in northern Lebanon, which reportedly targeted another Hezbollah financial official upon his arrival at a building housing displaced people, according to testimonies gathered by L’Orient-Le Jour. Witnesses reported that bags containing Lebanese lira banknotes were found at the scene.
This article was translated from L'Orient-Le Jour.
