This picture taken from an Israeli position along the border with southern Lebanon shows smoke billowing above the Lebanese village of Blida during Israeli bombardment on Jan. 17, 2024. (Credit: Jalaa Marey/AFP)
BEIRUT — An evangelical church in the southern Lebanese town of Alma al-Shaab was damaged when the pastor's house located next to it was targeted by Israeli strikes Tuesday night, as confirmed by the town's mayor, Jean Ghafari.
Until that night, it was mainly the outskirts of the town in Sour district that were targeted by Israeli artillery fire, but this changed when mortar shells hit areas within the town itself. One of these strikes hit the pastor's house, adjacent to the Church of the Annunciation, causing damage to the ceiling and kitchen. The church's windows shattered and rocket fragments marked the walls of the building. There were no reported casualties.
Another rocket also landed in a field close to a residential area. The blast blew out the windows of three of the houses there, Ghafari said.
The previous night, the town had experienced continuous Israeli bombardment, residents said.
Ghafari explains that the majority of residents left the village at the beginning of fighting between Israel and armed groups along the border. Currently, only about 40 families remain out of the usual 350 who live in the town.
Those who stayed in the village despite the tensions primarily rely on agriculture to sustain themselves financially and must remain on their land due to a lack of other sources of income that could allow them to move to a different area while still working.
Those who remain, says Ghafari, have to survive without public electricity and rely on generators since the power has been cut off for a month and a half.
Wednesday was marked by intense Israeli artillery fire and bombardments in southern Lebanon. In Houla, Marjayoun district, four vacant houses were struck. without casualties. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for several strikes against Israeli positions.
Cross-border fighting started on Oct. 8, one day after the Hamas attack on southern Israel and Israeli's subsequent bombardment of the besieged enclave. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah called the fighting a "support front," during his first speech following the outbreak of the war.
