Lebanon condemned a series of Israeli airstrikes in Nabatieh that killed the mayor and 15 others as they held a daily meeting on emergency relief over the intense bombing campaign, officials said.
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Mayor Ahmad Kahil and his colleague were slain after Israel “deliberately targeted a meeting of the municipal council that was discussing the city’s services and relief situation.”
“This attack follows other incidents in which civilians and civilian infrastructure have been targeted across Lebanon,” added UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.
Regional Gov. Howaida Turk told Lebanon’s Al-Jadeed TV that the city was hit by at least 10 strikes, which “resembled a fired belt,” he said of the incendiary blasts.
Along with the 16 deaths, another 52 people were injured in the airstrikes, according to Lebanon’s ministry of health.
The Israel Defense Forces said the strikes in Nabatieh were all aimed at Hezbollah weapons stashes and command centers, which Israeli officials claimed were hidden in civilian structures.
Wednesday’s attack was the largest strike on a Lebanese municipal building since the daily attacks between Hezbollah and Israel began last year.
Prior to strikes in Nabatieh, the IDF had issued evacuation orders for the city, but many remained as they failed to get a notice or had nowhere else to go as hundreds of thousands fled southern Lebanon.
The city council and emergency workers remained to aid in the relief efforts for those who remained as the IDF’s bombardments began last week, Turk told The Guardian.
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“It’s terrible destruction, the weapons that are being used are so destructive,” Turk said. “They are damaging not only the targeted areas but also the surroundings.”
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Wednesday that the US is urging Israel to avoid strikes on government and civilian buildings in Lebanon.
Lebanon’s crisis response unit recorded a total of 138 airstrikes and shelling in the country on Wednesday, with the IDF saying four civilians were injured today after Hezbollah fired more than 90 projectiles.
The intense fighting has killed nearly 60 people in Israel so far, about half of whom were IDF soldiers and reservists, according to Israeli officials.
In Lebanon, more than 2,300 people have been killed, according to the Ministry of Health, which does not specify between civilians and terrorists.
With Post wires
