Israel bombs main water facility in Tyre, killing 2 local officials

An Israeli airstrike targeted the main water facility in the southern port city of Tyre, killing two local officials and injuring two others, further compounding southern Lebanon’s worsening water crisis, Lebanon’s state media said.

The attack severely damaged the facility, prompting the Tyre Municipality to urge residents to ration water use until repairs can be made, the National News Agency said.

Those killed in the attack included Samer Shaghri, a local elected official called a mukhtar who handles residents’ administrative affairs, and Qassem Wehbi, the deputy mayor of Burj al-Shamali, a town east of Tyre.

This strike is part of a broader pattern of bombardments in the 13-month conflict, which according to an October 22 UNICEF report, have damaged at least 28 water facilities, cutting off access to safe water for over 360,000 people, primarily in southern Lebanon.

UNICEF’s report quoted Lebanon’s Minister of Energy, Walid Fayyad, who said, “The ongoing hostilities have inflicted severe damage on Lebanon’s essential services, leaving hundreds of thousands without access to safe water and electricity.”