Death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon reaches 2,255

The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon since the beginning of the Hezbollah-Israel conflict on 8 October 2023 has reached 2,255, with injuries totalling 10,524, the Lebanese health ministry said.

On Friday alone, Israeli airstrikes killed 26 and injured 144 in Lebanon, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting the ministry. Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that about 90 rockets and missiles were fired into the country on Saturday, most of them launched from Lebanon into northern Israel.

Some launches were aimed at Haifa Bay, including the port cities of Haifa and Akko, while others targeted the Galilee region. The Israeli army said that some of the projectiles were intercepted, and there were no casualties reported. Two drones launched from Lebanon were intercepted as well.

The Israeli army has launched intensive attacks on Lebanon since late September in an escalation with Hezbollah, heightening concerns about a broader war as the conflict between Hamas and Israel continues in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced that one of its soldiers was injured by gunfire owing to ongoing military operations in the vicinity. A statement released on Saturday by UNIFIL noted that the peacekeeper was injured last night at the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The soldier underwent surgery at the mission's hospital in Naqoura to remove the bullet and is now in stable condition. We do not yet know the source of the gunfire," it said, noting that buildings at the UN site in Ramieh town also sustained severe damage last night due to explosions caused by nearby shelling.

"We remind all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and installations, including avoiding combat activities near UNIFIL positions," stressed the statement. In a statement on Friday, UNIFIL said that "its headquarters in Naqoura was subjected to explosions for the second time in 48 hours, where two peacekeeping soldiers were injured after two explosions occurred near a watchtower".

"Several walls in our UN site near the Blue Line in Labbouneh collapsed when an Israeli tank shelled the site's surroundings," it said. Since the beginning of October, the Israeli army has conducted targeted ground operations against Hezbollah positions near the southern Lebanon border, while also intensifying its airstrikes and artillery shelling on the southern suburbs of the nation's capital Beirut.