"Our Sputnik correspondent in Lebanon, Ahmed Mohammed, lost relatives following an IDF [Israel Defense Forces] strike on a multi-story building in the suburbs of Beirut. Ahmed's relatives lived in this building. Two of them died, the fate of two others is unknown, and three are in serious condition in the hospital. Our condolences to Ahmed and his family," Simonyan said on Telegram.
Israel began carrying out massive strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday. IDF Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi labeled the offensive operation in Lebanon "Northern Arrows." The death toll from the bombardments exceeded 1,500, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. Hezbollah, in turn, fired dozens of rockets toward northern Israel.
This escalation was preceded by a series of explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon from September 17-18, which killed over 40 people and injured nearly 3,500 others.