Lebanon says 8 killed in Israel strike near coastal city of Sidon

War since September 23 has left at least 1,615 people dead in Lebanon

By AFP - Oct 27,2024 - Last updated at Oct 27,2024

A photo taken from the southern Lebanese city of Tyre shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a nearby village on October 27, 2024, as the war between Israel and Hezbollah continues (AFP photo)

BEIRUT, LEBNON — Lebanon's health ministry said at least eight people were killed and 25 others wounded Sunday in an Israeli strike near the southern city of Sidon, where an AFP correspondent said a building was targeted.

The strike hit a densely-populated area in a Sidon suburb that saw an influx of families displaced from areas further south.

It was the first strike there since the Israel-Hizbollah war erupted last month.

"The Israeli enemy's raid on Haret Saida resulted in a... toll of eight killed," the health ministry said, revising an earlier toll of two dead.

The official National News Agency said a child was among the victims.

An AFP correspondent said one apartment was destroyed in the strike on a three-storey residential complex.

Surrounding shops and buildings were also damaged, the correspondent said, as paramedics rushed to the site of the attack to search for survivors.

The Israeli army had issued an evacuation warning for several areas in south Lebanon on Sunday, but Haret Saida was not listed among the areas to be targeted.

The war since September 23 has left at least 1,615 people dead in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally of nationwide health ministry figures, though the real number is likely to be higher due to gaps in the data.

At least 1.3 million people have been displaced, more than 800,000 of them within Lebanon's borders, according to the UN's migration agency.

More than half a million people have crossed into Syria, according to Lebanese authorities, most of them Syrians.

Rate