An Israeli strike on an apartment in Ain Saadeh, east of Beirut, on Sunday killed a local official from a Christian political party and two others, highlighting divisions within Lebanon regarding Hezbollah. The Lebanese Forces Party identified the deceased as Pierre Moawad, a local party official, and his wife Flavia. According to the Lebanese health ministry, the victims were not in the targeted apartment, as they lived one floor below.
The ongoing conflict in Lebanon has intensified tensions between supporters of Hezbollah and those who blame the group for reigniting hostilities with Israel just 15 months after the last war. Since Israel launched a full-scale military campaign in retaliation for Hezbollah’s rocket fire on March 2, over 1,460 people have been killed, according to Lebanese officials. This conflict has displaced more than a million people, mainly from the Shi’ite community that supports Hezbollah.
Concerns have been voiced in Christian areas that those displaced might include militants. A Christian lawmaker, Nadim Gemayel, expressed worries that Israel might be pushing Shi’ites into predominantly Christian regions, leading to further conflict. However, there was no Israeli military order for evacuations prior to the strike, and local residents reported that the targeted apartment had been unoccupied for years.
The Israeli military classified the strike as targeting a “terror target,” but it did not provide specifics. Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun emphasized the importance of maintaining civil peace amid the conflict, which has seen other casualties, including five deaths in another strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
With information from Reuters
