Israel bombs a Christian-majority area in northern Lebanon for the first time

The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said in a statement that, according to its preliminary assessment, At least nine people died in the Israeli bombingand that another person was injured in the town of Aitou, where rescue and debris removal work continues to this day. The Lebanese Red Cross was already speaking, however, of 18 deaths.

The Lebanese National News Agency (ANN) indicated that this It is Israel’s first bombing against the city of Aitou, belonging to the Zgharta district, in an area with a Christian majority located about 15 kilometers southeast of the city of Tripoli, in northern Lebanon and which until now had not been the target of Israeli air strikes

The ANN added that the attack targeted a residential apartment, without providing further details. Local media reported that the apartment had recently been rented in this city.

Near supposed Sunni safe zone

The nearby Sunni Muslim majority city Tripoli was until now considered the safest in the midst of the Israeli bombing campaign, which since the end of September has mainly hit the south and east of the country, as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut.

In early October, an Israeli bombing raid targeted the area around Tripoli for the first time, specifically targeting the Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp.where an official of the Islamist group Hamas was murdered along with other members of his family.

Israel has concentrated its attacks mainly against areas with a Shiite majority in the south and east of Lebanon, but has recently begun to hit other communities in the Mediterranean country, where 18 groups of different signs and religions coexist.

Israel’s Massive Bombing Campaign Officially Targets Suspected Hezbollah Targetsconsidered a terrorist organization by the US, Argentina and other Western countries, while the European Union classifies its armed wing as such.

It began at the end of September, after more than 11 months of mutual attacks along the Israeli-Lebanese border, has already claimed more than 2,200 lives and forced more than 1.2 million people to leave their homes to flee violence, according to data provided by the Lebanese Government.

After Hezbollah attack on Israeli soldiers

This Israeli attack takes place after Hezbollah claimed that it bombed Israeli forces trying to “infiltrate” Lebanon, leaving four Israeli soldiers dead. In the conflict, the UN peacekeeping force, UNIFIL, has been increasingly caught between the fronts in recent days.

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