55 killed, 156 injured in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon over past 24 hours: ministry-Xinhua

This photo taken on Oct. 1, 2024 shows damages caused by Israeli airstrikes in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)

BEIRUT, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Over the past 24 hours, Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon have killed 55 people and injured 156 others, said the Lebanese Health Ministry.

According to the ministry, 11 of the fatalities were reported in the Baalbek-Hermel district, 22 in the Nabatieh Governorate, three in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, respectively, and 16 in the South Governorate.

Since Sept. 23, the Israeli army has been conducting an unprecedented, intensive air attack on Lebanon in a dangerous escalation with Hezbollah.

Since Oct. 8, 2023, Hezbollah and the Israeli army have been exchanging fire across the Lebanese-Israeli border amid fears of a broader conflict as the war between Hamas and Israel continues in the Gaza Strip. ■

This photo taken on Oct. 1, 2024 shows damages caused by Israeli airstrikes in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the town of Khiyam, southern Lebanon, on Oct. 1, 2024. (Photo by Taher Abu Hamdan/Xinhua)

A ruined apartment building is pictured after Israeli airstrikes in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)