The death toll from an Israeli attack in southern Beirut that targeted several Hezbollah commanders last Friday (20) has risen to 45, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said on Sunday (22).
Emergency services are still sifting through the rubble left by the attack, he said, using DNA samples to identify the remains.
A day earlier, the death toll was 38, according to the ministry.
The attack on Friday destroyed a multi-story building in a residential neighborhood in Beirut. A team from CNN at the scene saw a mass mobilization to rescue people from under the rubble.
Israel said it killed Ibrahim Aqil, a senior Hezbollah member believed to be part of the elite Radwan force.
This was the third offensive against the Lebanese capital this year.
In January, an Israeli airstrike killed Saleh Al-Arouri, deputy head of Hamas’ military wing, who was living in Beirut.
Other operations
The first major attack against Hezbollah in the past week occurred on Tuesday afternoon (17), when pagers belonging to members of the militant groups exploded almost simultaneously.
The pagers were used by Hezbollah to communicate after the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, encouraged members to switch to low-tech devices to prevent more of them from being assassinated.
Almost exactly 24 hours later, at least 37 people were killed when Lebanon was rocked by a second wave of explosions after Hezbollah walkie-talkies detonated in Beirut and the south of the country.
This content was originally published in Death toll in Israeli attack on Beirut rises to 45, ministry says on CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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