Israeli attacks destroy Ottoman-era market in Lebanon

At least one person was killed and four were injured in overnight air raids by Israel’s air raids in the southern city of Nabatieh.

According to civil defense officials in Lebanon, fires erupted in the market’s 12 residential buildings and 40 shops on Sunday.

“Our livelihoods have all been levelled to the ground”, said Ahmad Fakih, whose corner shop was destroyed.

As Israeli drones buzzed overhead, rescuers were searching for survivors and what is still buried in the battered buildings early on Sunday.

Israel has issued a warning to residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate Nabatieh, even though the city also houses residents who have already been displaced.

The conflict in Lebanon dramatically escalated in September with a wave of Israeli attacks that killed Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and most of his senior commanders. This month, Israel launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese Red Cross reported in a separate incident that left four paramedics with concussions and two ambulances damaged by an Israeli air raid in southern Lebanon.

Since the start of the ground operation, Israeli forces have fired at first responders and UN peacekeepers on numerous occasions. Israel, without providing evidence, accuses Hezbollah of using ambulances to ferry fighters and weapons, saying Hezbollah operates in the vicinity of the peacekeepers.

Source: Aljazeera