The site of the Israeli strike on a house in Ain Yaacoub, Akkar, on Nov. 12, 2024. (Credit: Michel Hallak/L'OLJ)
The death toll from Monday night’s Israeli strike on Ain Yaacoub in Akkar has risen to 16, according to information from Civil Defense reported by L'Orient Today. Twelve Lebanese and four Syrians were killed in the attack, which struck a region previously spared by Israeli raids. About 15 others were injured, some critically.
Residents are in shock. “It’s the first time I’ve seen anything like this,” said a Civil Defense worker. “We don’t know why they did this. They destroyed an entire building. It’s a massacre,” said Hicham Hussein Hachem, the son of the building's owner. The strike also damaged at least eight nearby buildings.
Displaced families from southern Lebanon
“Since Thursday night, Israeli drones have been flying at very low altitudes over the village, nearly brushing the rooftops,” said Hussein, a local resident, in the morning. Recalling the strike, he reported, “I felt a strong gust of wind, then heard a massive explosion.” Ferial Harb, widow of the building’s owner, said she was sheltering “family members who had fled Arab Salim (Nabatieh district).”
The first floor of the building housed a Syrian family — a mother and her three children — who had lived in the area for several years; all four were killed. Families originally from Arab Salim, in southern Lebanon, who had fled the bombings were also staying in the building. Twelve of them died in the strike. “There were bodies in the trees… We found body parts as far as the road,” said Fatima, 32, whose child is still missing. “We just found a piece of clothing with part of a body. I don’t know what I’m going to do now.”
One Syrian still missing
Rescue efforts in the rubble to locate potential survivors and recover victims’ remains ended around 4 a.m. Civil Defense teams from the area, alongside the Lebanese Red Cross, were mobilized. Operations began with bare hands and makeshift tools until the Lebanese army arrived with bulldozers. A relief team from the Higher Relief Committee also assisted. On Tuesday morning, a technical unit from the army was on-site to analyze the scene and prepare a final report on the damage. According to a security source, one Syrian remains missing. Red Cross teams are collecting “body fragments and bones in a Spinneys plastic bag,” recounted a Civil Defense worker, for DNA identification.
While aid is being organized for survivors, some locals are questioning the presence of Hezbollah members who may have sought refuge in the area. “The presence of the displaced scares us. They’re Lebanese like us, but why put us in danger if you’re a leader? Children died here,” said Mayssa, 43, tearfully. The mother added that her daughter “no longer wants to live here” and expressed concern that “all areas with displaced people are now at risk.”
Akkar was targeted for the first time about ten days ago, with two strikes on roads near Akroum, close to the Syrian border. These strikes caused significant damage to the roads but resulted in no casualties.
