Rhino: Agencies – Israel expanded the targets of its war on the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon on Monday, killing at least 18 people in its first attack on the predominantly Christian town of Aytou in the north, the Lebanese Red Cross said.
The focus of Israeli military operations in Lebanon so far has been on the south, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Joseph Trad, the mayor of Aytou, told Reuters that the strike in the northern area hit a house rented by displaced families. The Red Cross said four others were injured in the attack.
On Monday, Israel ordered residents of 25 other villages to evacuate to areas north of the Awli River, as it intensifies its attacks in the area.
The Israeli military said it carried out a raid in south Lebanon’s Nabatieh region that killed Mohammad Kamel Naim, commander of the anti-tank missile unit of Hezbollah’s Radwan force.