A Syrian man buries his wife and 4 children killed in Israeli strikes on Beirut

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DEIR EL-ZOUR, Syria (AP) — A Syrian antheral connected Saturday buried his woman and 4 of his 5 children, killed successful the monolithic question of Israeli strikes that pounded Beirut earlier this week, laying them to remainder successful Deir el-Zour state successful northeastern Syria.

It was not the homecoming they had anticipated erstwhile they fled to Lebanon six years ago.

The bodies, on with that of his six-month large daughter-in-law, arrived successful woody coffins connected a autobus from Lebanon, their names scribbled connected the sides. Men stood beside the autobus crying earlier the burial procession successful al-Sour town, arsenic mourners gathered to connection condolences.

The remains of 1 of his 2 daughters were inactive missing, believed to beryllium trapped nether rubble, arsenic hunt operations concluded Saturday, 3 days aft the attacks.

The onslaught was 1 of astir 100 carried retired by Israel connected Wednesday without warning, targeting what the Israeli subject said were Hezbollah-linked sites crossed Beirut and different parts of Lebanon. More than 350 radical were killed that day, a 3rd being women and children, making it the deadliest time successful astir six weeks of war.

Many of the strikes deed commercialized streets and densely populated neighborhoods successful cardinal Beirut, acold from struggle zones, wherever repeated Israeli evacuation warnings person been issued since March 2, erstwhile the Iran-backed militant radical Hezbollah fired missiles into Israel successful retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli attacks connected Iran.

A father's grief

The father, Hamad al-Jalib, survived due to the fact that helium was distant fetching a state canister portion moving arsenic the building’s concierge. When helium heard that a onslaught had deed the Ain Mreisseh neighborhood, wherever helium lives, helium rushed back, lone to spot a plume of fume rising from a gathering down a mosque crossed from Beirut’s celebrated seaside promenade — usually crowded with radical walking and exercising.

“The Israeli onslaught killed my girls, they are innocent, conscionable sitting astatine home,” al-Jalib said. “They were having lunch.”

He said it took rescue teams 3 days to extract the bodies of his household from nether the rubble. “And I inactive person a girl missing, her sanction is Fatima Hamad al-Jalib.” She is 10 years old. His different girl was 12 portion his sons were 17, 14 and 13 years old.

Three different Syrian relatives were besides killed successful the Ain Mreisseh onslaught and were buried connected Saturday successful the municipality of al-Shuhail successful Deir el-Zour, aft the household divided upon returning to Syria.

Al-Jalib said his household had been displaced from their country and moved to Lebanon successful 2020, arsenic section tensions grew involving tribal groups and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Syrian refugees among the dormant and wounded

The casualties from Wednesday’s strikes and others crossed the state person pushed the decease toll successful much than a period of Israel’s warfare with Hezbollah to implicit 1,950 killed and much than 6,300 wounded, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The toll includes astatine slightest 315 Syrians killed and wounded.

It remains unclear however galore of those killed connected Wednesday were non-Lebanese, arsenic the Health Ministry did not supply a breakdown by nationality. Officials person reported that astatine slightest 39 Syrians were among the dead.

Dalal Harb, a spokesperson for the U.N. exile agency, said the household killed successful Ain Mreisseh was not registered with the UNHCR. There are astir 530,000 Syrians refugees registered with UNHCR successful Lebanon, with hundreds of thousands much believed to beryllium unregistered.

While hundreds of thousands of Syrians person returned from Lebanon since the ouster of erstwhile Syrian President Bashar Assad successful December 2024, galore others stay reluctant to spell backmost due to the fact that of the deficiency of jobs and ongoing violence.

Al-Jalib’s brother, Jomaa, who besides lived successful Lebanon, said helium was astir 150 meters (500 feet) distant astatine enactment erstwhile the archetypal blast hit. “We ran and we ran, past the 2nd onslaught happened.” He said helium was arriving astatine the gathering arsenic it began to collapse. “It was excessively precocious to get anyone out. We yelled for them, but nary 1 answered.”

He said ambulances aboriginal recovered the bodies, which helium identified astatine a hospital.

Following the burial connected Saturday, men stood enarthrosis to enarthrosis successful supplication implicit the caller graves.

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Associated Press writer Abby Sewell successful Beirut contributed to this report.

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