Death toll in Lebanon rises to 3,243 as massacres, strikes escalate
5 Min Read
The Israeli occupation forces are carrying out dozens of massacres daily in Lebanon, killing and maiming thousands in Lebanon thus far, with residential areas severely impacted.
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A woman carries clothes as she leaves a destroyed building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, November 11, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli occupation forces continued Monday their relentless assaults on Lebanese villages and towns across the south, Bekaa, and north, committing further atrocities against civilians while destroying buildings, infrastructure, and religious and historical sites.
In the latest wave of Israeli aggression in the south, Israeli warplanes launched an airstrike on the town of Saksakiyye in the Saida district, killing seven civilians and wounding seven others, according to preliminary reports. Simultaneously, Israeli jets targeted the town of Debbin in the Marjaayoun district with two missiles, while artillery shelling hit the town of Shebaa.
Israeli airstrikes also targeted a house in the town of Yater, completely destroying it, as reported by the National News Agency. The attacks also extended to the town of Burj Qalaway, with Israeli artillery shelling the area around the Khiam detention center.
Further airstrikes targeted the outskirts of the town of Qana, the Ras al-Salib area, and the Batem mountains. A particularly intense airstrike was carried out between Ramadiyeh and Siddiqin in the Tyre district.
Escalating aggression on the south
Additionally, Israeli airstrikes hit the outskirts of the Rashidiyeh refugee camp south of Tyre, with multiple raids on the town of Mansouri. The National News Agency reported three martyrs in the Israeli airstrike on the village of Srifa, specifically in the Qfifat neighborhood.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces have been planting explosives and demolishing several homes on the outskirts of the town of Aita al-Shaab, which borders occupied Palestine, since this morning.
Israeli warplanes also carried out airstrikes on the center of the town of Ansar in the Nabatiyeh district, hitting the area in two waves. Further strikes targeted the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, while Israeli artillery shelled the town of Yohmor al-Shaqif and its surroundings, as well as the neighboring town of Arnoun.
In the afternoon, Israeli jets bombed the historic al-Bayyad Mosque in the city of Nabatieh, completely destroying it. Another airstrike targeted a building on the Nabatieh-Shaqif Road, and the town of Kfar Remman was also struck, with a building destroyed in the attack.
Bekaa under heavy fire
At the same time, an Israeli drone carried out an airstrike on the town of Housh Sayyed Ali in the Hermel district, while another Israeli strike targeted the vicinity of Shmistar.
Three martyrs were reported following an Israeli airstrike on the town of Maydoon in western Bekaa. In the northern region, an Israeli raid targeted a house in the town of Ain Yaaqoub in Akkar, resulting in 28 people, including Syrians, displaced civilians, and local residents, being martyred or injured.
Israeli warplanes also breached the sound barrier over Rashayya and the western Bekaa in four separate waves.
Today's casualties add to the growing toll of the ongoing aggression, with 3,243 martyrs and 14,134 injured since the beginning of the Israeli aggression. Sunday's airstrikes alone resulted in 54 martyrs and 56 injured.
More money to kill more civilians
A couple of weeks ago, the Israeli occupation government, amid its ongoing war against Gaza and Lebanon, approved its 2025 budget, paving the way for increased military spending and tax hikes, the American news agency, Bloomberg, reported.
The agency noted that the 2025 budget, which focuses on further military spending, reflects a profound shift in priorities since the war began more than a year ago, adding that "defense expenditure at about 6% of GDP will reflect the new priorities of Israel."
It pointed out that this level of spending is "well above the figure of 4.2% in 2022 and the OECD average of 1.7%."
Bloomberg's report further explained that "the conflicts in Gaza and against Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as heightened tensions with Iran, have weakened Israel’s economy and finances and forced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to focus on reining in the budget deficit."
It added that the deficit target for the coming year has been set at 4.3% of GDP, with military spending expected to be the largest among all ministries, totaling 117 billion shekels, which is "similar to last year’s figure but 80% higher than the pre-war plan for 2024."
Bloomberg also recalled a statement from Netanyahu before discussing the budget, in which he said, "There is no economy without limits," adding that "if you give to one area, you need to take from another." He used this as a justification to continue funding the war while neglecting other aspects of the Israeli economy.
