Geolocation
Airwars assessment
On Monday, September 23, 2024, an alleged Israeli strike hit the town of Tefahta (Tuffhata) in the Sidon region, Southern Lebanon, killing at least nine civilians, including a woman, two children, and two religious figures, and injuring at least one person, alongside at least one militant.
Local sources identified the names of the victims as two preachers in the Sharia Council of Hezbollah – Ali Abu Rayya, a Hezbollah preacher who used to live in Canada, and Muhammad Saleh, a Hezbollah preacher also known as Mr. Tefahta. Ali Almakshouf shared the photos of the two men on Facebook.
Various regional news networks, including LebNow, AlarabyTV and Horrya Press shared on Twitter/X the video of the moment of the explosion. It was reported by source al-Rees Abu Omar that the target of the strike was a site belonging to Hezbollah “militia” in the Sidon region, from where the two preachers had been sheltering.
While Hezbollah operates an active militant wing, its political presence is also deeply enmeshed within the state, providing social and organizational services, primarily in the Shia majority areas in Southern Lebanon, the Beqaa Valley, and the suburbs of Beirut. With this context in mind, Airwars is not considering a general association with Hezbollah to equate with militant/non-civilian status. Given that there is no indication of militant activities and they are both referred to as serving in a religious capacity, Ali Abu Rayya and Muhammad Saleh have been counted as civilians. Airwars will update the incident should new information become available.
Muhammad Saleh was killed alongside his son Ali al-Hadi Muhammad Saleh, his daughter Hawra Muhammad Saleh, who was the wife of Ali al-Hadi Zbib, and Hawra’s son, whose name was not reported. Hawra was initially believed to be missing but was later discovered in the hospital, reported as having been killed. Sources shared a picture of the late Hawra – a young woman pictured in a black hijab. Saur News Network shared a photo collage where a young toddler, reportedly the son of Hawra, can be seen.
The other victims were named as Hassan Reda, Ali Muhammad Kanj and his son Muhammad Ali Kanj (a child), and Ali Abbas Aburia. Another individual, Muhammad Baqir Aburia, was also named as having been killed in the attack: in images shared on social media, Muhammad Baqir Aburia is pictured in a military uniform with a gun in his hands, including in an image where he is pictured in uniform with a Hezbollah flag. Therefore, Muhammad has been counted as a militant and not a civilian in Airwars’ casualty range.
Sources also mentioned that the Public Health Emergency Operation Center of the Ministry of Public Health declared one person slightly injured, but there are no other details. Hiba Tawil, wife of Muhammad Saleh’s cousin, referred to multiple family members in a call for prayers, indicating that more than one member of the family had been injured. Airwars’ injury range of 1-2 reflects this uncertainly.
Friends, neighbours, and family resorted to social media to express their grief and honour the memories of their loved ones, sharing photos as a tribute to their memories.
Various regional news networks, including LebNow, AlarabyTV, and Horrya Press shared on Twitter/X the video of the moment of the explosion. The site of the strike was reported by belonging to Hezbollah in the Sidon region, from where the two preachers of the Sharia Council of Hezbollah, Ali Abu Rayya and Muhammad Saleh, were trying to escape at the moment of their killing, said al-Rees Abu Omar and other users on Facebook.
Doaa Hassan Tabboush described Muhammad Saleh as a mentor, expressing gratitude for his support, recalling his advice: “Don’t act out of your head and don’t be in a hurry, tell me and seek advice from me.” Reflecting on the impact of his passing, she wrote about the profound void his loss leaves behind, as his faith and kindness had been a source of strength not only for her, but to many others too. She added: “I will never forget his continuous support, his calm words, and his pure love that preceded every advice. Today I lost a pure soul and a heart full of faith.”
The youngest among the victims, Muhammad Ali Kanj, son of Ali Muhammad Kanj, was mourned by his football team al-Tadamon Club and one of his teachers, Hasan Zaki Shokor, shared a picture on Facebook of Muhammad with his diploma, writing a compassionate message about his student, whom he described as a young man full of personality, innocence, intelligence and ambition. In particular, he reminisced about Muhammad’s enthusiasm, especially when he received his graduation certificate in the sixth grade, not realizing then, that it would be his last academic degree and that he would soon receive, as the teacher put it, an “eternal certificate of pride.”
Rami Kanj mourned the death of Ali Muhammad Kanj, sharing a picture of him, a middle-aged man wearing a khaki shirt.
Mostafa Kawtharani reported the death of Hassan Reda, sharing his image of a man dressed in a grey jacket.
Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (4)
Family members (2)
The victims were named as:
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the village of Tefahta (تفاحتا), for which the generic coordinates are: 33.435066, 35.368995. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
Summary
Sources (47) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (46) [ collapse]
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Source: Tefffahtacom -
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Source: Bintjbeil -
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Source: Al-rees abu omar -
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Source: Al-rees abu omar -
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Source: Abbas kareem al-qarishi -
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Source: Journal sada almeshrek -
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Source: Ali dia -
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Source: Rami kanj -
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Source: Abmix -
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Source: @TawilHiba -
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Source: @alialal77213573 -
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Source: Maharan alakaidat -
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Source: Ali almakshouf -
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Source: Mostafa kawtharani -
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Source: Aya ezzeddine -
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Source: Teffahta -
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Source: Abu ali mohammad saleh -
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Source: Doaa hassan tabboush -
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Source: Mohammad dia -
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Source: Mohammad dia -
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Source: Mohammad dia -
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Source: Hassan rkein -
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Source: Ali khalife -
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Source: Saur news network -
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Source: @Radwan139258090 -
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Source: @bsltmym66535354 -
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Source: Hasan zaki shokor -
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Source: Ghadir kassem -
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Source: Ali dia -
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Source: Ali dia -
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Source: Ali dia -
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