On the night of Tuesday, November 26, 2024, alleged Israeli airstrikes hit the Arida border crossing between Lebanon and Syria in Northern Lebanon. Reports indicated that at least three civilians were killed, including a female child, while at least 18 to 23 others sustained injuries as a result of the alleged Israeli airstrikes, including the mother of the young child that was killed.

The deceased were identified as two men, Ahmed Muhammad Terzlaki and Khader Ali Mahmoud, and a female child, Aseel al-Zaghir. Aseel’s mother and a man, Shuaib Ismail, were reportedly wounded. It is possible the final casualty toll was higher, as evidenced by multiple sources alleging that “at least two Syrian border security personnel were killed” in the strike. While it is possible that both men named above were employed in this service and thus account for these deaths, it is not definitive.

In commemorative Facebook posts by Tartous and a page for the Al-Kharabeh township (“Al-kharabeh is our village”), Ahmed Muhammad Terzlaki was described as a young man – nicknamed Janbo.  Both Facebook pages shared a picture of Ahmed as a man in glasses, sporting a white shirt. The Al-Kharabeh post expressed sorrow for his “martyrdom”, whilst offering prayers for his mercy and his family’s patience. Tartous included a video of his body being lifted from beneath the rubble. The Tartous Al-Hamidiyah Expatriates (“Tartous”) Facebook page announced that he would be buried on Friday at 10 AM in the Hamidiya Cemetery.

X user @wissam12719 shared a picture of Khader Ali Mahmoud, bearded and wearing a vest top, and announced his killing, stating that he was a member of the Lebanese Army who died in the Israeli airstrikes on the Arida crossing. According to Akkar News, Khader Ali Mahmoud was fishing under the bridge in Arida at the time of the attack. @silentpolitics1 alleged that he was “performing his national duty” at the time of death.  Given that the Lebanese Armed Forces have not been an active party to the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict, and there is no indication that Khader Ali Mahmoud was acting in a military capacity at the time of his death, he has been counted as a civilian.

Aseel al-Zaghir, a Palestinian child refugee from Ain Al-Hilweh Camp in Sidon, was also killed in these attacks. The Palestinian Refugees’ Gateway Facebook page posted a picture of the young girl and confirmed her death at the Arida crossing. According to a Facebook post by Lebanon Camps, Aseel al-Zaghir was travelling to Syria for medical treatment, and her mother, who remains unnamed, was seriously injured in the attack whilst accompanying her. According to Refugee SPS, the family was appealing to humanitarian organisations to “transport her body” so she could be buried near the family home.

Reports on the number of injuries from the Israeli airstrikes on the Arida border crossing varied across different sources. According to the X page of Syria Watan News, the number of injuries was 18. Meanwhile, the Media Office of the Tartous Governorate on its Facebook page announced that 23 people were injured, and posted pictures of the Governor Ahmed al-Hamid and police Chief Brigadier General Yasser Abdul Rahman visiting the wounded in the hospital. According to @SyriawatanNews,  at least three of the injuries were considered “critical.” @Good_day49 reported that the strike had resulted in “one amputation case.” As this source initially recounted a smaller casualty toll, it is likely that the number of serious injuries increased.

According to the Twitter/X post by @hamed_zakaria, three members of the Lebanese Public Security forces were injured. Amongst them was Shuaib Ismail, a young man from the town of Fnaideq. A Facebook post by Ibrahim M. Wehbi shows Shuaib Ismail lying on a hospital stretcher with an oxygen mask and receiving medical attention. Despite his wounds, Wehbi “thank[ed] God for [his] safety”.

Multiple sources on X, including @Lebanon24, reported that Israeli airstrikes hit the Arida crossing. At the same time, @AlakhbarNews specified that two separate Israeli raids occurred at the Arida crossing—one at midnight and another at 3:30 a.m. User @kalemsiyasilb alleged a higher strike count of three.

According to multiple sources, there were casualties among the Lebanese army soldiers, but the sources did not provide further details.

Videos and images from multiple sources documented the extensive damage at the Arida crossing following the alleged Israeli airstrikes. A Facebook post by Haitham Tartous showed a burnt scene with charred surfaces, debris, and emergency response teams working at the site. Images shared by “The Road from Damascus to Beirut” on Facebook showed the collapse and destruction of the Al-Arida Bridge, surrounded by rubble. An onlooker, Facebook user “The road from Damascus to Beirut”, was appalled by the destruction of the bridge, writing that “frankly, when we saw it, we were shocked”. Meanwhile, @AlJadeedNews and @AlTatemma posted videos on X showing individuals at the scene near a burning border checkpoint and security building, engulfed in flames in the aftermath of the raids.

Where sources identified a belligerent, all pointed to the Israeli military.