60 killed in Israeli airstrikes on eastern Lebanon

BEIRUT — At least 60 people, including two children, were killed and 58 others injured following Israeli air raids on the eastern Bekaa Valley, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Monday.

The ministry said that 12 areas in the Valley were hit, most of them in the Baalbek region, and that the toll was preliminary as rescue efforts were still underway.

Baalbek Governor Bachir Khodr decried what he called the “most violent” raids on the area since the start of the conflict between Lebanon and Israel.

Since Sept. 23, Israel has intensified air attacks on Lebanon, mostly targeting Hezbollah, and has lately launched a ground operation across its northern border.

XINHUA