Israeli strike 'completely' destroys Lebanon mosque; 3rd UN peacekeeper wounded

A year of cross-border exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah over the Gaza war escalated into all-out conflict on September 23.

Hezbollah engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli forces attempting to infiltrate the village of Ramya in southern Lebanon on Sunday, the Iran-backed group said. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that an Israeli airstrike early on Sunday morning had completely destroyed a mosque in the southern village of Kfar Tibnit.

A person stands by damages at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh on October 12, 2024. (AFP)

"At around 3:45 am (1245 GMT) enemy aircraft carried out an airstrike targeting the old mosque in the centre of the village of Kfar Tibnit, completely destroying it," the National News Agency reported.

"It was a significant place because families used to gather in the square right next to it on special occasions" Village mayor Fuad Yassin told AFP, adding that the mosque was at least 100 years old.

The clashes come as Israel continues its military campaign against Hezbollah, following months of escalating violence.

The Lebanese Red Cross said its paramedics were hit by a strike on Sunday while attending the site of an earlier attack in the south, leaving them lightly injured, reported AFP.

"Following the air strike on a house in Sirbin... Lebanese Red Cross ambulance teams were dispatched to the scene in coordination with" UN peacekeepers, the Red Cross said in a statement. "As the team was searching for casualties to rescue, the house was hit for a second time resulting in concussions to the volunteers and damage to the two ambulances," it added.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said a third peacekeeper had been wounded during Israeli strikes, marking another dangerous incident for the mission, which is tasked with maintaining peace along the Lebanon-Israel border. The soldier, wounded by gunfire on Friday, underwent surgery and was reported to be in stable condition.

The mission, which includes over 10,000 peacekeepers from countries such as Italy, France, and India, operates under increasingly challenging conditions. Two other peacekeepers were wounded earlier in the week when Israeli fire struck a UNIFIL watchtower in Naqoura, a coastal town in southern Lebanon.

Israel faces criticism

France summoned Israel's ambassador over the strikes, while the governments of Italy and Spain issued statements condemning them as "unjustifiable." US President Joe Biden also urged Israel to take precautions to avoid targeting UNIFIL forces, and Russia demanded that Israel halt its "hostile actions" against peacekeeping personnel.

Israel has issued evacuation orders to residents of 23 southern Lebanese villages, urging them to move north of the Awali River. The IDF claims that Hezbollah is using these areas to conceal weapons and stage attacks, though the militant group denies the allegations.

The conflict has displaced more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon, according to official government figures. More than 2,100 people have been killed in Lebanon since the fighting began, and over 10,000 have been injured.