Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon meant to target Hezbollah militants have led to over 550 deaths, including 50 children and 94 women, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
According to The Associated Press, the Lebanese Health Ministry told journalists 24 September that 16 paramedics and firefighters were among those killed, and 1,835 people were wounded in the attacks.
Despite concerns by world leaders of escalating violence in the Middle East, Israel has expanded its attacks against Hamas by targeting its closest ally in Lebanon. In an address 24 September, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned the world “can’t go on like this,” saying the current course is “unsustainable.”
Marielle Boutros, project coordinator in Lebanon for the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need, said that although Hezbollah is meant to be the intended target of Israel’s attacks, civilians, including Christians, are bearing the brunt of the aggression.
The strikes, she said, are “affecting everyone,” because “all south Lebanon is being targeted,” Boutros said 24 September during a visit to ACN headquarters in Koenigstein, Germany. The escalating conflict may lead to an exodus of Christians and risks diminishing their presence in the region, she said.
At a 23 September panel discussion in Rome, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said the situation in northern Lebanon “has always been volatile” but that the current conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has taken a more intense turn.