Israel Strikes Lebanon’s Northernmost City For First Time Of War

An Israeli drone bombed a Palestinian refugee camp in the Lebanese city of Tripoli, killing a Hamas leader and three members of his family in the early hours of Saturday.

Al-Jadeed TV channel reported that “an Israeli drone targeted a residential apartment in the vicinity of Khalil al-Rahman Mosque in the Beddawi camp in Tripoli,” killing four people and injuring others who were transported to the Hilal Hospital inside the camp.

Tripoli, Lebanon. File image.

Hamas issued a statement announcing the death of Qassam Brigades commander, Saeed Atallah Ali, his wife Shaima Khalil Azzam, and his two young daughters, Zainab and Fatima, who were killed as a result of the airstrike.

The Hamas statement added that “the Qassam Brigades, in light of the ongoing and escalating massacres of the occupation in the steadfast Gaza Strip, our proud West Bank, and our camps, the fortresses of our return, pledge to our people to avenge the pure blood that was shed and is still being shed.”

According to Al-Jadeed, the Israeli bombing was the first of its kind in northern Lebanon since the beginning of the war. Israel also struck targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut for the third night in a row.

Lebanese News Agency reported that the Israeli warplanes launched 12 raids on the southern suburbs of Beirut at dawn on Saturday.

Witnesses speaking with Reuters said a blast was heard and smoke seen early on Saturday in Beirut, amid evacuation warnings issued by the Israeli military for residents to evacuate several areas. The alerts warned residents to evacuate buildings in the Burj al-Barajneh neighborhood, the Choueifat district, and Haret Hreik.

The Israeli army announced it bombed a mosque within the Martyr Salah Ghandour Hospital compound in the town of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon overnight. A statement from the hospital said that nine medical workers were injured in the strike, including many in serious condition.

The army claimed Hezbollah had established a “command room” within the mosque “to plan and carry out acts of terror against IDF troops and the State of Israel.”

BREAKING | An Israeli airstrike targeted a residential apartment in the Beddawi camp in the city of Tripoli, in northern Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/eNhmYupMrq

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) October 5, 2024

In Gaza, the Israeli military has regularly bombed hospitals, mosques, and schools, claiming without evidence they are being used by Hamas fighters.  Lebanon’s Health Ministry has announced that more than 2,000 people have now been killed in Israeli attacks on the country since 8 October last year, including 127 children and 261 women.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 41,802 people, with the local health ministry saying the majority are women and children, and injured 96,844 since the war began on October 7 last year.