At least 41 people were killed and around 40 others injured after Israeli special forces carried out a raid in a Lebanese village during a wider escalation of hostilities with the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
The overnight operation targeted the town of Nabi Chit in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, a region that has increasingly become a focal point of fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. Lebanese authorities said three soldiers were among those killed, while local residents reported that several civilians, including children, were also among the dead.
According to the BBC, the Israeli operation was aimed at recovering the remains of a missing Israeli military airman whose aircraft was shot down over Lebanon about four decades ago. Residents said Israeli forces dug up a grave in the town cemetery during the raid but found no remains. “They thought he was there but there was nothing,” the BBC quoted a local resident as saying.
Images from the area showed extensive damage to homes and vehicles, with bullet-riddled cars, debris from destroyed buildings and a large crater reportedly left by explosions. Everyday items such as children’s colouring books and household utensils were found scattered among the rubble.
Hezbollah, which controls much of the surrounding area, allowed journalists to visit the town and witness the aftermath of the destruction. The Shia militant group is designated as a terrorist organisation by countries including the United Kingdom and the United States.
The Lebanese military said it detected four Israeli aircraft approaching the border area with Syria late on Friday night. Two of the aircraft landed and deployed special forces personnel on the ground while a “large-scale aerial bombardment” began simultaneously. Lebanese army units responded by initiating defensive measures, including launching flare bombs to identify the landing site, the BBC reported.
The Israeli military later acknowledged that the operation did not yield the expected results. According to the Times of Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said no evidence linked to the missing airman, identified as Ron Arad, was found during the mission, although it said the operation allowed it to rule out one possible location for the remains.
Arad’s family was informed of the developments, the report added. His widow later said the family did not want Israeli soldiers’ lives to be put at risk in attempts to locate his remains.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed the operation, reiterating that Israel would continue efforts to locate missing personnel. “The operation carried out last night did not produce what we were looking for,” Netanyahu said in a statement cited by the Times of Israel, adding that Israel remained fully committed to finding all missing soldiers and captives.
Meanwhile, Lebanese military chief Rodolphe Haykal reportedly said Israeli soldiers involved in the raid had reportedly worn uniforms resembling those of the Lebanese army and used vehicles and ambulances similar to those operated by the Hezbollah-linked Islamic Health Authority.
Haykal also warned that continued Israeli attacks were complicating the Lebanese army’s efforts to implement its plan to disarm Hezbollah, amid the broader regional conflict linked to the ongoing confrontation involving Israel, Iran and their allies.
