The impact caused by two Israeli shells that targeted a residential building in the city of Ain Saade, east of Beirut, on April 6, 2026, the day after the attack. (Credit: Téa Ziadé/L’Orient-Le Jour)
Ain Saadeh, perched on the heights of Metn, had long been a quiet neighborhood. On Easter Monday morning, the streets of this town east of Beirut were deserted. Soldiers stood guard in front of a residential building, while local residents, still in shock, surveyed the damage.The previous evening, around 9 p.m., a double Israeli strike hit the eastern wing of a four-story building within the “Maronite complex,” a social housing project built by the Church for low-income families. It was the first time Ain Saade, a mostly Christian town, was targeted by the Israeli army since the start of this war — and even in the previous 2023-2024 conflict.The bombing sparked panic and terror: Pierre Moawad, head of the Lebanese Forces' Yahchouche (Kesrouan) office, his wife Flavia, and a neighbor, Roula Mattar, who had come for coffee, were all...
Ain Saadeh, perched on the heights of Metn, had long been a quiet neighborhood. On Easter Monday morning, the streets of this town east of Beirut were deserted. Soldiers stood guard in front of a residential building, while local residents, still in shock, surveyed the damage.The previous evening, around 9 p.m., a double Israeli strike hit the eastern wing of a four-story building within the “Maronite complex,” a social housing project built by the Church for low-income families. It was the first time Ain Saade, a mostly Christian town, was targeted by the Israeli army since the start of this war — and even in the previous 2023-2024 conflict.The bombing sparked panic and terror: Pierre Moawad, head of the Lebanese Forces' Yahchouche (Kesrouan) office, his wife Flavia, and a neighbor, Roula Mattar, who had come for coffee, were...