Geolocation
Airwars assessment
During the evening of Monday, November 11, 2024, a minimum of 22 identified civilians and potentially more than 30 civilians were killed and at least five were injured following an alleged Israeli airstrike on a two-storey residential building, hosting a number of displaced families – including a displaced Syrian family from Arida – in the village of Ain Yaacoub located in the Akkar District of northern Lebanon. Among the victims identified were members of the Sharara, Suleiman, Harb, and Hattab families, including at least eight women and four children.
On Twitter/X, @PalinfoAr initially reported 11 deaths at 11:42 PM, citing “Lebanese sources”, but Ain Yaacoub’s mayor later mentioned that 14 were killed and five were wounded. While al-Hadath declared “at least 30 dead”, posting a video of the immediate aftermath of the strike at 7:48 PM, Arabi 21 news relayed an unofficial toll by the Lebanese News Agency of 28 people killed and injured as search operations were still underway to recover missing persons from under the rubble until late at night.
Social media tributes by family and friends helped Airwars researchers to identify the names of 22 civilians killed.
69-year-old Mahmoud Amin Sharara was killed with his 63-year-old wife Maryam Amin Mustafa Sharara.
30-year-old Amal Jamil Sharara who was killed alongside her 30-year-old husband Amin Mahmoud Sharara and their two young sons, five-year-old Muhammad Amin Sharara and six-year-old Mahmoud Amin Sharara.
A video posted by @fatimadaoud on Twitter/X shows the two brothers playing football and training with their teammates, amongst other photographs of the boys with face paint, and smiling with a costumed performer dressed as a cartoon. Muhammad Amin was a fan of Juventus FC, wearing the team’s jersey on multiple occasions.
A photograph of the family shared by Facebook user Southern Qandola reflected joy: wide smiles, Mahmoud laughing, perched on his father’s lap.
@BudurSami shared photographs of the two boys superimposed against a background of the AMAL Movement’s flag. AMAL is a political party that used to operate a militia and is now allied with Hezbollah. Due to the very young age of both boys, this image has been understood to be an effort at memorialisation and an attempt to place their deaths in the wider context of the war, rather than an indication that the two boys were members of an armed group. The same was done by the Islamic Scouts Association, in a post shared by Facebook user Benet Lharake. The photos used were taken from an original photograph of the boys at a football pitch.
62-year-old Mahasen Amin Sharara was also killed. Facebook user Adeeb Farhat recalled his encounter with Mahasen Amin Sharara from “years ago” in Arabsalim, painting her as a deeply kind woman. Mahasen, who owned a clothing store, refused to accept his money when she realised he was buying clothes for a girl with disabilities, even gifting him an additional piece of cloth. Adeeb added a headshot of a middle-aged smiling woman in a black hijab and pink shirt.
In separate posts, Bint Jbeil announced the death of Mustafa Amin Sharara while Lebanon Flame News reported that of 58-year-old Majda Amin Sharara. Facebook user Southern Qandola, whose grandfather’s house neighboured the Sharara’s family, recounted growing up with “Uncle Mahmood” and “the whole family” as their families supported each other “in good times and bad”. Attaching smiling photographs of the family, Southern Qandola grieved a world in which “every moment is bitter” and mourned the loss of an entire family: “Look how beautiful they are, Look how beautiful they are”. Bint Jbeil confirmed the family was originally from Arabsalim in southern Lebanon but was later displaced to Akkar.
Maryam Mustafa Sharara and Ali Hassan Hattab both attended the Distinguished Center for School Support. In memoriam, the school shared pictures of Maryam in class, writing that with her death, “all that remains is pain and those innocent smiles [and] an eternal memory that will not be erased by time”.
Arabsalim News, Southern Qandola and Bint Jbeil relayed an image of Ali Hassan Hattab in his graduation gown, likely from his elementary school graduation. Abdo Aqil Harb and 64-year-old Ilham Mahmoud Hattab – likely Ali’s grandparents – are also believed to have died in the incident.
Lebanon Flame News also reported the deaths of three siblings from the Harb family, 32-year-old Aqeel Abdo Harb and his two sisters, 30-year-old Nevin Abdo Harb, and 25-year-old Darine Abdo Harb.
In an emotional post on Twitter/X, Siraj Homs (@HmzhS84544) mourned the death of his “entire family,” including his mother, Fatima al-Abeed, and three brothers, Abdul Rahman Suleiman, Siraj Suleiman, and Khaled Suleiman. It was revealed by Wadi News on Facebook that the family was originally from the town of al-Aridah (Arida) in central Syria. 58-year-old Abdullah Hassan Shakir, a likely relative of the family, was also killed in the strike. A photo collage of the family was attached to the post, showing Fatima as a middle-aged woman posing in front of the blooming bushes with her son. Her three sons were all young men.
According to North Top Channel, Majed Darbas, the mayor of Ain Yaacoub, clarified that the building belonged to Hussein Hashem, who was hosting the Harb, Sharara and Aqeeqi families on the second floor; the Suleiman family inhabited the first. Photographs were included of the relief effort, including one of two men carrying a girl or woman dressed in purple; it is unclear whether she is deceased or injured.
Photos and videos shared on Facebook by Abu Muhammad Miscellaneous and Akkar Observatory depicted the aftermath of the airstrike. The footage reveals destroyed furniture inside the home, along with damaged infrastructure, including solar panels, water tanks, and pipes.
Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the attack to Israeli forces.
The incident occured in the evening.
The victims were named as:
Family members (3)
Family members (10)
Family members (3)
Family members (4)
The victims were named as:
Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]
Reports of the incident mention a residential building being struck in the town of Ain Yaqoub (عين يعقوب) in the Akkar district (محافظة عكار). Analysing audio-visual material from sources, we have narrowed the location down to the following exact coordinates: 34.525370, 36.194422.
Summary
Sources (25) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (60) [ collapse]
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Source: Bintjbeil -
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Source: Southern Qandola -
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Source: Southern Qandola -
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Source: Southern Qandola -
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Source: Southern Qandola -
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Source: News lebanon flam -
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Source: Arabi21 news -
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Source: @10zeinaaa -
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Source: @HmzhS84544 -
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Source: @Hamoudi_Free_Sy -
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Source: @BudurSami -
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Source: @BudurSami -
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Source: Mohammed Fawaz Rustum -
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Source: Mohammed Fawaz Rustum -
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Source: Mohammed Fawaz Rustum -
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Source: Mohammed Fawaz Rustum -
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Source: Mohammed Fawaz Rustum -
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Source: Wadi News -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Akkar Observatory -
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Source: Arabsalim News -
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Source: Northtopleb -
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Source: Northtopleb -
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Source: Benet Lharake -
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Source: Benet Lharake -
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Source: Distinguished Center for School Support -
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Source: Distinguished Center for School Support -
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Source: Adeeb Farhat -
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