ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - More than 60 percent of the population of the ancient city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon have fled their homes under intense Israeli attacks, a local official told Rudaw Friday.
“Everyone has migrated and left abroad, or settled in a second city that is calmer than this area. But something that has shocked us is that 38 percent of Baalbek’s population remain. And this 38 percent, nobody is providing them aid or assisting them at all,” said Baalbek mukhtar (neighbourhood representative) Khalil Taha.
At the end of October, Israel ordered the entire city to evacuate as it planned to strike alleged Hezbollah positions in the city that is home to ancient Roman ruins. The city has since come under heavy bombardment.
“Yesterday it was not bombed, but the previous day only Baalbek was bombed seven times,” said Taha.
In total, the area has been “bombed 33 times, killing 50 and wounding 56,” he said.
Israel’s pre-announced strikes forced residents to relocate to the “Red Zone, with some moving to Zahle and others to Aarsal,” said Taha, expressing concern that aid cannot reach those who remain in the city.
“Give it [aid] to the Lebanese army, the Lebanese army is the only guarantee of security. We trust them to deliver the donations to the underprivileged,” he said.
The neighbourhood representative made a plea for peace, saying the “shooting must stop” and “we demand peace and stability.”
In September, Israel expanded its conflict with Hezbollah with airstrikes followed by a ground invasion into Lebanon.
On Monday, the Lebanese health ministry said that 3,002 people have been killed in the conflict and at least 13,492 have been injured.
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) estimated in October that 1.2 million people in Lebanon have been displaced.
