Two killed as 16 Israeli strikes hit eastern Lebanon

BEIRUT (TIP)- Israel intensified its aerial assault on Lebanon’s eastern regions on Thursday, Oct 23, striking what it claimed were Hezbollah military targets amid growing fears that cross-border hostilities could spiral into another full-scale war.
The Israeli army said its warplanes targeted “a camp and a precision missile production site belonging to Hezbollah” in the Jurd Baalbek-Hermel region — a rugged, mountainous area near the Syrian border long believed to be the site of Hezbollah infrastructure.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirmed that two people were killed and several others wounded in the wave of strikes, which hit the outskirts of the towns of Taraya, Shmustar, Bednayel, and Nabi Sheet, as well as rural areas in Janta, Al-Gharbieh, and Sherbin.
The attacks caused panic at secondary schools in Shmustar and Taraya, where shattered glass injured students and teachers. Several pupils reportedly fainted amid the chaos.
The latest escalation comes as Israel continues to strike deeper into Lebanese territory, while tensions mount over Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm — a longstanding demand by domestic and international actors seeking to bolster state sovereignty.
Despite Lebanon’s efforts to enforce disarmament measures and assert control over southern regions, Hezbollah maintains a parallel military presence, defying UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
In a statement, Minister of Education and Higher Education Rima Karami appealed to “the major and influential countries of the world to exert pressure to halt the ongoing aggression that targets schools and civilians.”
Israeli media reported that five fighter jets carried out strikes on 16 targets in eastern Lebanon, while army spokesman Avichay Adraee said the air force raided “several Hezbollah targets in the Bekaa region, including a camp used to train Hezbollah members, where members of the party were seen inside.”
Adraee claimed that “Hezbollah used the camp to train and prepare its members to plan and oversee the execution of operations against Israel.”
He said that “the Israeli army targeted military infrastructure within a Hezbollah precision missile production site, as well as infrastructure located at a military site belonging to the party in Sherbin.”
Adraee added that “the storage of weapons and the presence of this infrastructure, along with Hezbollah members conducting military training, constitute a blatant violation of agreements between Israel and Lebanon and a threat to Israel that must be eliminated.”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described the Israeli attacks as “unjustified and unacceptable.”