More than 60 people were killed in several towns around Baalbek following multiple Israeli airstrikes overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday.
Israeli strikes pounded the eastern Lebanese town of Baalbek on Wednesday, according to the state-run Lebanese News Agency, hours after the Israeli army issued an evacuation notice for all residents of the town .
The ancient Roman temple complex of Baalbek, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was included in the evacuation noticeas well as the surrounding areas of the city and the main roads leading to the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.
Residents evacuated Baalbek en masse, with local media showing heavy traffic on the roads outside the town. Images posted online also show the start of airstrikes on Baalbek.
In a message published on social networks, Baalbek governor Bachir Khodr urged residents not to seek refuge in the city’s Roman temples.
He advised them to head to one of two destinations: Arsal – a town in Baalbek province located about 30 km from the city – or the Northern governorate.
More than 60 people killed by Israeli strikes
Israel says it is targeting fuel depots to stop the flow of weapons and artillery from Iran, but has provided no evidence of this activity.
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said thatIsrael had a responsibility to protect civilian infrastructure and cultural heritage sites.
During the deadliest day of the year in the region, more than 60 people were killed in several towns around Baalbek following multiple Israeli strikes overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday.
Earlier, on October 6, an Israeli strike hit the ancient citadel of Baalbek, home to two of the world’s largest Roman temples, some 700 meters away.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health indicates that more than 2,790 people have been killed and 12,700 injured in Lebanon since October 8, 2023when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel.
The conflict sharply intensified last month when Israeli ground forces invaded southern Lebanon. According to government estimates, around 1.2 million Lebanese have been displaced by the conflict.
