Lebanon’s Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday that at least 20 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a building in the coastal town of Barja, located more than 20 kilometers south of Beirut.
According to the ministry's statement, "the preliminary toll of the Israeli occupation’s airstrike on Barja, located in the Shouf District of Mount Lebanon, has risen to 20 martyrs and 14 injured." The ministry added that rescue operations and debris clearance efforts are ongoing.
Earlier, the ministry had reported an initial toll of 15 fatalities and multiple injuries. Witnesses noted that smoke continued to billow from the building on Tuesday evening, while many families fled the area in fear of further attacks.
This strike marks the second Israeli airstrike targeting a region outside Hezbollah's traditional strongholds in Lebanon since the escalation of Israel's offensive on southern Lebanon.
Earlier, an airstrike on another residential building in the nearby town of Jiyeh, close to Barja, resulted in one fatality, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health.
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