Ministers of Public Health Rakan Nassereddine and Information Paul Morcos at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), on Sept. 23, 2025. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — At the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) on Tuesday, the health and information ministers visited Amani Charara and her eldest daughter, the only survivors of an Israeli strike that killed five people when it hit their family car in the southern town of Bint Jbeil.
The attack on Sunday killed Charara’s husband, Chadi, their three young children — Celine, Hadi and Celia — and a motorcyclist riding alongside them. Israel claimed responsibility, saying the strike targeted a Hezbollah official.
In a private hospital meeting, Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine and Information Minister Paul Morcos offered condolences to Charara and conveyed a message from President Joseph Aoun, who is in New York for the U.N. General Assembly. Morcos said Aoun assured the family they were “in his thoughts and in his heart” and denounced the attack as “a massacre” and a violation of international resolutions, including the cease-fire agreement.
“The least we can do is be here to show support, comfort and solidarity,” Morcos said, adding he would raise Charara’s concerns with the government, particularly on health and social matters.
Nassereddine described Charara as “one of the remarkable women of South Lebanon endowed with boundless patience.”
“She has entrusted us with the responsibility of watching over her eldest daughter,” he added. “Despite her injuries, she showed her patriotism, saying that she is a Shiite from the South, a graduate of Christian schools and university, and that her children attended the Evangelical School, reflecting her deep faith in the nation.”
Former MP Ali Bazzi also attended the hospital visit.
Funerals were held in Bint Jbeil on Tuesday for Chadi Charara, his three children and the motorcyclist, Mohammed Mroueh. Their coffins, wrapped in Lebanese flags, were carried through the town by a mourning crowd chanting slogans denouncing Israel.
From New York, President Aoun renewed his condemnation of the strike and called on the international community “to pressure Israel to withdraw from Lebanon and respect its commitments.”
The strike came after a week of deadly Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon. On Thursday, the Israeli army conducted a series of strikes in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah infrastructure and rebuilding efforts in the region. The strikes were preceded by evacuation warnings posted on the social media platform X.
Last month, under U.S. pressure, the Lebanese government instructed the army to prepare a plan to disarm Hezbollah, which has been weakened by the latest attrition war. Foreign Minister Joe Rajji said the military would complete the disarmament of Hezbollah members in border areas with Israel within three months.
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