An Israeli airstrike on a village in eastern Lebanon killed 12 people. As per the state media reports today, the strike hit the village of Mashghara in the Bekaa Valley last night. Rescue workers also confirmed that they pulled 12 bodies out of the rubble following an intense wave of overnight strikes.
The intensified attacks come three days before Lebanese and Israeli military delegations are set to meet in Washington for direct talks.
It came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had authorised more intensive strikes targeting the Hezbollah militant group across Lebanon. The Israeli military did not comment on this particular strike, but said that it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in eastern Lebanon. An Israeli security official said the military had called up an additional battalion to Lebanon.
Hezbollah is attacking Israeli troops in southern Lebanon and northern Israeli towns, and has vowed to continue fighting until Israel stops its daily airstrikes and withdraws its troops from the country. Hezbollah has claimed that in recent weeks, it is using new fibre-optic drones that Israeli troops have struggled to intercept. The Lebanese government hopes that the direct talks with Israel, opposed by Hezbollah, will lead to a ceasefire. On the other hand, the intensified strikes have brought fear in Lebanon of a renewed full-scale war, leaving the capital exposed to possible strikes again.
