At least 60 killed in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley

AFP

At least 60 people were killed and 58 others were injured by Israeli airstrikes in the Bekaa valley in eastern Lebanon, the Lebanese Health Ministry said on Monday.

The ministry said the casualties were recorded across 12 targeted locations, with at least two children killed. 

Of the 60 killed, at least 16 deaths were recorded in Al-Alaq, west of Baalbek city, according to the health ministry. 

Baalbek governor Bachie Khodr called the attacks the "most violent" in the area since Israel escalated the conflict against Hezbollah last month.

Israeli strikes also killed at least seven people and injured 17 others in the coastal city of Tyre, which is renowned for its UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hezbollah continued to clash with Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and fired rockets at a naval base inside Israel near Haifa. 

Israel escalated its operations in Lebanon five weeks ago, launching a ground invasions and intensifying air raids. 

The conflict erupted after a year of cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israeli forces.

The Lebanese health ministry says more than 2,600 people have been killed and more than 12,400 wounded in Lebanon since then.

Lebanon's government says up to 1.3 million people have been internally displaced as a result of the conflict.

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