(MENAFN) In the latest wave of violence, Israeli airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon have led to at least 28 confirmed deaths and 19 injuries, according to official reports released yesterday. The Lebanese Red Cross announced via the "X" platform that 18 people were killed and four were injured in an Israeli attack on a residential apartment in the town of Ayto. This incident marks the first strike on Ayto since October 8, 2023, in the predominantly Christian district of Zgharta in northern Lebanon.

Additional reports from the official Lebanese news agency revealed further assaults, including an attack on a house in Khirbet Selm, located in the southern district of Bint Jbeil, which resulted in the deaths of two more individuals. The Lebanese Ministry of Health also confirmed that an Israeli raid on a medical facility in Siddiqin, in the Tyre region, led to one fatality and left another person wounded.

The Ministry's Public Health Emergency Operations Center reported that an Israeli strike in the town of Sarbin, situated in the Nabatieh district, injured four paramedics. Moreover, during the early hours of yesterday, Israeli warplanes targeted the town of Kafr Villa in the Apple region, with reports of casualties still emerging.

In a separate incident, an Israeli raid in the town of Maaroub resulted in four injuries, two of which were described as critical. Additional reports indicated two fatalities and multiple injuries from an Israeli strike on a house in Ansar. A raid on the southern town of Mifdoun also resulted in five deaths and one injury.

The situation worsened when enemy artillery shelled a house in Dabal, near the town's church, followed by an airstrike. While a family of five managed to survive, a child was slightly injured, and the attack caused damage to the church’s windows and doors.

Israeli military operations extended to artillery shelling in various towns, including Al-Adaisa, Al-Tayyiba, and Rab Thalateen in the southern region. At the same time, warplanes targeted the town of Hanin in Bint Jbeil. In Baalbak, in the eastern part of the country, airstrikes hit the town of Boudai and conducted three assaults on Durres, resulting in moderate injuries to four individuals, including a six-year-old Syrian child.

As the conflict intensifies, the situation in Lebanon grows increasingly precarious, with civilians suffering the most from these aggressive military actions. The humanitarian ramifications of this escalating violence are being closely monitored by the international community, which raises urgent concerns about the impact on affected populations. 

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