Shortly before 8:33 p.m. on Saturday, November 9, 2024, at least 14 identified civilian men, seven of whom were paramedics, were killed in an alleged Israeli strike near an ambulance crew gathering point in Deir Qanoun, Ras al-Ain, located in Tyre, southern Lebanon. Additionally, at least 12 others were injured. An individual recorded as a militant was also killed .According to some sources, the death toll may reach more than 20 civilians.

The incident was first reported by @PalTodayBRK at 8:33 PM and quickly gained widespread attention as news outlets and social media users shared the story. Many began referring to the event as “the Deir Qanoun Ras al-Ain massacre,” circulating photographs and tributes to honour the deceased victims.

Many victims of the strike were members of the Association of Scouts of the Islamic Message, an Amal-affiliated scouting organisation. As there was no evidence that those killed were members of militant groups or had engaged in militant activities, they have been classified as civilians. This assessment will be updated if additional information emerges regarding any of the victims.

Among the deceased was Imran Hussein Ghanem, who was particularly remembered in a post by the Lebanese Civil Defense (@CivildefenseLB) for his dedicated service as a volunteer since January 2012. Born in 1990 in Deir Qanoun Ras al-Ain, Tyre, he was married and the father of one son.

In their tribute, the Civil Defense described him as “an example of a brave volunteer in serving the homeland and the citizen.” Ghanem had completed several training courses within the Civil Defense, participated in numerous missions and search-and-rescue operations, including the Beirut Port disaster. He had received multiple commendations from the Director General of Civil Defense as well as several certificates recognizing his contributions.

Several photographs of Imran were shared on social media, accompanied by numerous messages reflecting the deep social impact of his loss. In the photographs, he is seen wearing his Civil Defense uniform.

Janoub Lebanon961 shared a heartfelt post that read: “Here we are today losing a dear brother, wise in his decisions and loyal to his family, his country, and his Al-Risala Association. It is difficult for me to mourn you, Imran, as you were the friend and support everyone could rely on, never letting anyone down, not even once.” The Al-Risala Association is a health aid organization, with at least two other paramedics among the deceased and injured in the strike.

The post included a poignant video featuring a photograph of Imran overlaid with footage showing the moments when bodies were being recovered from the strike and loaded into ambulances. This was followed by home videos of Imran engaged in his humanitarian work, rescue missions, and driving an ambulance.

Mustafa Rahim Madani, born in 2000 in Deir Qanoun Ras al-Ain, also lost his life. Photographs of him wearing his Civil Defense uniform were shared widely on social media. A heartbreaking tribute by Hadi Nasour read: “It is hard for me, my brother, to mourn you as a martyr, a lover, a friend, a brother, or a dear one. May God protect you, my beloved, my brother. Congratulations on this great medal. The martyr, the hero Mustafa Rahim Madani.” The message was accompanied by a video showing Mustafa posing for a selfie with a friend, both dressed in civilian clothing.

Mustafa was also a member of the Islamic Message Scouts Association, where he provided humanitarian services. Another member of the organization, Rahim Mahmoud Madani, born in 1970 in Deir Qanoun Ras al-Ain, also died in the strike. A photograph of Rahim wearing his humanitarian aid worker uniform was shared in his memory.

Wadih Khalil Atwi also died in the strike. His photograph was shared by his relative, Facebook user Husain Atwi, and was followed by many heartfelt messages of sorrow from close friends and family members of the Atwi family. In the photograph, Wadih appears as a young adult, possibly in his early 20s. Both images depicted him in casual settings—one at a restaurant, dressed in sports and casual clothing, smiling warmly at the camera.

Additionally, from the Islamic Message Scouts Association, Muhammad Hassan Saklawi also lost his life in the strike. He was a 26-year-old paramedic, born in 1998 in Deir Qanoun Ras al-Ain. A photograph of him, shared widely, shows him smiling at the camera while wearing his humanitarian aid uniform.

A young man, Hussein Ali Ismail, and Muhammad Suleiman Ismail, born in 1979, also lost their lives in the strike. According to a Facebook post by the media outlet Jezzine Tahki, they were the son and brother, respectively, of Hajj Ali Ismail, the official for the Jabal Amel region in the Amal Movement.

Photographs of Muhammad and Hussein were shared, showing them at work on what appears to be a rescue mission, as the background reveals debris. Both are dressed in their rescue work uniforms.

In a Facebook post by Najeb Mahfoud, Muhammad Suleiman Ismail was referred to as “Mujahid” who “was martyred while performing his national and jihadi duty in defense of Lebanon and the South.” The post was accompanied by a photo of Muhammad in military clothes with the inscription “Martyr Mujahid Muhammad Suleiman Ismail.” The post also refers to Muhammad’s affiliation with the “The Lebanese resistance brigades ‘Amal’.” Additionally, the Twitter/X and Instagram accounts, both called ‘@socialmediaamal’, shared Muhammad’s “martyr card.” On the card, it was noted that Mohammed had “”underwent several military and cultural training courses” with Amal. Finally, a collage of the victims, shared by Husain saad to Facebook shows Hussein holding what appears to be a large gun. Given these facts, Airwars has recorded Muhammad a militant. This will be updated should additional information become available.

Hussein Ali Ismail was also referred to as “Martyr Mujahid in defense of Lebanon and the South” in a Facebook post by Fadel. The post was accompanied by an image of Hussein in an Al-Risala Association for Health Aid, a civil defense group that is associated with the AMAL movement. Given these facts, Airwars does not understand the invocation of “mujahid” and “defense” to be militant in nature. As such, Hussein has been recorded as a civilian. This will be updated should additional information become available.

Ali Fadl Homani, Ali Ahmed Hamadi, Daniel Jihad Manaa, Mahmoud Saleh Madani, Jihad Bahij Saklawi, Muhammad Jamil Ali Ismail, Youssef Ali Saklawi, and Muhammad Raif Zamat were also reported killed in the strike.

A collage photograph of the 15 men who perished was widely shared by media outlets such as Dearborn.org and Bintjbeil.org. The images depicted adult men and one older man. Notably, many of them are shown wearing their humanitarian work uniforms from their respective organizations, underscoring their lifelong dedication to humanitarian service.

Several news outlets reported on the event, sharing photographic and video documentation of the debris and damage. Port Media, for example, shared a video of the ongoing rubble removal operations, showing a building completely torn apart. The footage captured members of the Civil Defense and a bulldozer removing heavy debris from the massive pile of rubble.

@Alhadath_Leb also shared a video with several images of the strike’s aftermath, highlighting details of the rescue operations, including paramedics arriving at the scene and heavy trucks clearing debris. The scale of the destruction was evident. In their report, they updated the death toll to more than 20. And it was said that ”the work to extract dead bodies from the rubble was still ongoing in light of the continuous flight of warplanes and drones.”However, Airwars has not confirmed the identity of the additional civilian reportedly killed.

The funerals took place in a collective, official ceremony honouring the workers. Photographs shared by Deir Qanoun Ras al-Ain in a Facebook post on November 11th showed caskets draped with flags of the Amal Movement and Hezbollah. While Hezbollah operates an active militant wing which was engaged in conflict with Israel, its political presence is deeply integrated within the Lebanese state, providing social and organisational services, especially in Shia-majority areas of Southern Lebanon, the Beqaa Valley, and Beirut’s suburbs.

Given this context and the absence of any indication of militant activity at the site, the presence of these flags cannot be used to suggest that the victims, recognised as first aid civilian workers, had any connection to an armed wing or that there was militant activity in the area. Consequently, has Airwars classified these victims as civilians – though this will be updated if more information emerges.

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

Given the number of sources reporting on the strike and the confirmed loss of life, Airwars has assessed the strike’s status as likely, with civilian harm status classified as fair.