Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISLB230924h

Incident date

September 23, 2024

Location

سحمر, Sahmar, Western Beqaa District, Lebanon

Geolocation

33.519432, 35.686916 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On Monday September 23, 2024, at least six civilians, including one woman and a child, were killed and a number of civilians were injured in an alleged Israeli airstrikes on the town of Sahmar in western Beqaa, Lebanon.

According to the Facebook account bintjbeil.org, the Facebook account of Sahmar city, and other social media users, an elderly couple, two children and two men were killed in the attack. Hajj Izz al-Din Alaa al-Din (Abu Jihad) was killed alongside his wife Maryam Wahbi (Umm Jihad). Other victims were named as 14-year-old boy Ali Mahdi Munim, Hassan Ali Sha’shou, Muhammad Abbas Ahmad al-Zain, and Ali Muhammad Riyad al-Khashin.

Bintjbeil.org also shared a collage of the victims’ photos. Hajj Izz al-Din Alaa al-Din appears as an elederly man sitting in a wheelchair. Maryam Wahbi is pictured wearing a headscarf with flowers.

Facebook user Em Adam mourned the death of her nephew Ali Muhammad Riyad al-Khashin on Facebook, writing “I will miss you so much and you left a burn in your aunt’s heart” and sharing a video with the pictures of the late Ali. He is pictured as a teenager dressed mostly in black. In another video shared on September 26, she also added moments of his funeral captured on camera. Though it appears that Ali was younger than 18, Airwars is unable to confirm his exact age. The upper counts for both men and children reflect this uncertainty.

Looking at photographs, another one of the victims, though it’s not clear who, was also a teenaged-boy at the time of the killing. This uncertainty in age is also reflected in the upper counts for children and men.

Zahraa Yosof also shared an image of Ali on Facebook, writing “Oh heaven in you 🥀Oh with a kind 💔 heart.”

Twitter/X user @AkhbarOrdon and multiple other users shared a video filmed in Sohmar by an eyewitness where several thick clouds of smoke rising over residential buildings can be seen. Khadije Elkechen shared a photo collage showing multiple clouds of smoke after explosions.

Media Press Lebanon reported that the airstrike damaged a carpet making facility and hit three homes and a coffee shop, but this information was not corroborated by other sources.

Writing on the incident, Media Press Lebanon noted that Israeli warplanes had been carrying out airstrikes in the western Bekaa for more than three hours.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to the Israeli military.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Izz al-Din Alaa al-Din عز الدين علاء الدين
Adult male killed
Maryam Wahbi مريم وهبي
Adult female killed

The victims were named as:

Hassan Ali Sha'shou حسن علي شعشوع
Age unknown male killed
Muhammad Abbas Ahmad al-Zain محمد عباس أحمد الزين
Age unknown male killed
Ali Mahdi Munim علي مهدي منعم
14 years old male killed
Ali Muhammad Riyad al-Khashin علي محمد رياض الخشن
Age unknown male killed

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Sahmar (سحمر), for which the generic coordinates are: 33.519432, 35.686916. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • (1–2 children1 woman3–5 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (46) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (46) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Bintjbeil
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    Source: Hasan jumaa
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    Source: Our village is better
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Khadije elkechen
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Zahraa yosof
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    Source: Zahraa yosof
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    Source: Zahraa yosof
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    Source: Zahraa yosof
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    Source: Zahraa yosof
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    Source: Zahraa yosof
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    Source: Mughtarbi the south
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    Source: Capital of palestinian diaspora
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    Source: @zazalulu20
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    Source: @fadi3235
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    Source: @bsltmym66535354
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    Source: @lara02211455
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    Source: @HassanAlkaaei
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    Source: @AlHanouf123457
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    Source: Sohmor high school official
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    Source: Ali al-shamri
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    Source: Tripoli
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    Source: Walid wehbi
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    Source: Ali khaled
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    Source: Ali hussein
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    Source: Al-Quds Center for Studies
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    Source: Tripoli news
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    Source: Lebanon news website
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    Source: Lebnany
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    Source: Kamar sohmor
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    Source: Kamar sohmor
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kamar sohmor
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kamar sohmor
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kamar sohmor
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kamar sohmor
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    Source: Bekaa news network
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    Source: Sohmar
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    Source: Zahraa yosof
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Israeli Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military
  • Israeli Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • (1–2 children1 woman3–5 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (46) [ collapse]