An 11-year-old boy, Jawad Younes, and his uncle, 41-year-old Ragheb Younes, were killed when an Israeli airstrike destroyed their family home in southern Lebanon. The attack hit their compound shortly after 1 pm on Friday.
Jawad had been playing football with his cousins outside when the strike happened. Family members and local officials said their home had no military connections to Hezbollah.
Family reaction
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As per BBC reports, Jawad's father, Hussein Younes, said, "I don't know! I don't know! If this was a military base, no kids would be here." His mother, Malak Meslmani, sat beside her son's body and told BBC, "My son is gentle and pure. He loved the idea of martyrdom, and when he grew up, he wanted to be with the resistance. He wanted to resist the enemy Israel who killed him." Jawad and Ragheb were buried on Saturday in the village of Saksakiyeh, a day after the strike destroyed their compound.
Ongoing fighting and rising deaths
According to NDTV reports, Lebanese health officials say more than 1,100 people have died since the recent fighting have started after a US-Israeli operation against Iran. Civilian deaths are still rising. Just a day before, another family buried two children and their mother who were killed in Israeli strikes.
On Saturday, three Lebanese journalists named Ali Shoeib, a correspondent for AI Manar TV, Fatima Ftouni, and cameraman Mohamed Ftouni from AI Mayadeen were also killed, according to the employers. Israel said it targeted Shoeib as a "terrorist" linked to Hezbollah, but no proof was given. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called the attack a âbrazen crimeâ against journalists.
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Since early March, Israeli strikes have hit towns across Lebanon. Ground operations are continuing in the south. The UN refugee agency says that more than one million people have been forced to leave their homes. Despite the rising deaths and destruction, both Israel and Hezbollah say the fighting will continue. Civilians are at risk.
The deaths of Jawad Younes and others show how civilians are suffering as the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah gets worse. Families and journalists are in danger.
