Alelie Jade Mallari

Lebanon once again endured hundreds of airstrikes from Israeli forces on Sept. 25 bearing an increase in the number of deaths in the process of its conflict with Israel since Monday.

Photo Courtesy of The Guardian.

The Lebanon Public Health Minister, Firass Abiad in his statement to Al Jazeera Mubasher TV has identified the deaths caused by the Israeli airstrikes to be 596 people, including 50 children and 94 women. The minister also asserted the number of wounded which hiked from 1,600 people to 1,835 from Monday to Wednesday.

It was further stated by Hezbollah that on Israel’s second day of attack in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, the death of a senior commander, Ibrahim Qubaisi, was included among the six people killed due to the launched airstrike.

Hezbollah retaliates against the forces of Israel on Wednesday morning, launching a missile on Mossad headquarters near Tel Aviv. However, the retaliation resulted in no casualty, as reported by the Israeli military. The exchange of airstrikes, artillery fire, and drone strikes among the two territories has been continuous since Sunday.

Over 1,500 Filipinos working and living in Lebanon have requested for rescue amid the Israel-Lebanon war, but only over 500 have successfully returned to the Philippines. The total number of Filipinos in Lebanon is approximately 11,000 people.

According to Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Robert Ferrer’s televised public hearing, he confirmed the Filipinos’ return are still undergoing due process.

“So far over 500 have already returned to the Philippines with over 1,000 still being processed for return,” he explained.

In a statement, UN secretary general António Guterres expressed concerns regarding the current situation in Lebanon, with worries of becoming like Gaza, Palestine.

“Lebanon is at the brink. The people of Lebanon– the people of Israel– and the people of the world– cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza,” as he refer to the on-going genocide of Israel to Palestinian territories. 

The conflict between Lebanon and Israel since 1975 has accumulated to a larger war, pushing the United Nations to call for a Lebanon ceasefire.