At least six civilians and four militants were killed in an alleged Israeli strike on a family home in Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon on September 23rd 2024. All those harmed appeared to be members of the Saad and Dabaja family. A militant described as a “prominent leader” of Hezbollah, Ali Habib Dabaja, was among those killed.

In addition one civilian was reported injured, grandfather Tawfiq Ibrahim Saad. The ten family members killed in the strike were as follows (civilians have been highlighted in bold): Ali Habib Dabaja, Muhammad Bahjat Bazzi, Amin Ali Saad, Kawthar Amin Saad (daughter of Amin), Amal Fayrez Burji (wife of Tawfiq), Bilal Tawfiq Saad (son of Tawfiq and Amal), Batoul Amin Dabaja (wife of Bilal), Fatima Zahra Bilal Saad (daughter of Bilal and Batoul), Ali Bilal Saad and Mohammad Hassan Bilal Saad, both sons of Bilal and Batoul.

Bilal Tawfiq Saad and Muhammad Bahjat Bazzi were pictured in Hezbollah uniforms in their funeral posters shared on social media, while Ali Habib Dabaja was described as a high level Hezbollah leader. These individuals have therefore been categorised as militants by Airwars. Ali Saad was widely pictured alongside the militants listed in this incident, though images indicated he likely had a religious position rather than a militant one. This uncertainty is accounted for in Airwars’ casualty range, as outlined below.

According to a post from “Andalusia Perfumes,” all ten members of the family killed in the strike were reportedly scheduled to be buried at 10am local time on September 26, 2024 in Bint Jbeil City.

Among the civilian casualties were three children: Fatima Zahra Bilal Saad, Ali Bilal Saad, and Mohammad Hassan Bilal Saad. Mohammad’s death was announced the day after his brother and sister, and in one widely shared photo he is wearing blue glasses, a uniform for the Imam al-Mahdi scouts, and is looking up to smile at the camera. Although this scout group is known to be broadly affiliated with Hezbollah, membership of the scout movement does not indicate involvement in militant activities. As Mohammad was also a child, he has been categorised as a civilian by Airwars teams. The children’s grandfather was Tawfiq Ibrahim Saad, reportedly the only family member to have survived the airstrike and described to be in ‘serious condition.’

A photo of Kawthar Amin Saad, posted by a friend, shows her wearing a black headscarf and posing next to two friends whose faces are blurred. The caption reads: “I announce to you the passing of a gentle breeze, a shy smile, a caring companion, and a lifelong friend.”

Batoul Amin Dabaja’s cousin, who lives in Detroit, spoke to Al-Jazeera confirming that his cousin, her husband, and three children were killed in an Israeli airstrike. “There is disbelief. There is anger, and there is the feeling of loss – tremendous loss,” he said.

In a funeral poster shared on social media by the account Al-Andalus Institute for Perfumes bearing a Hezbollah logo, Bilal Tawfiq Saad and Muhammad Bahjat Bazzi are pictured in military uniform and therefore have been counted among militants killed. Sheikh Amin Ali Saad, who was imam of the town, is pictured between them wearing religious attire and was described by news sources as “one of Hezbollah’s religious leaders” – it is unclear whether his role within Hezbollah was only religious or involved a militant capacity due to his image’s inclusion along with militants shared throughout social media. Amin’s status is therefore categorised as “contested” by Airwars researchers, including Amin in the upper civilian toll and the upper militant toll only.

Ali Habib Dabaja was also described on social media as a “prominent leader in the Lebanese Hezbollah militia” and has therefore been counted among militants. One Syrian activist and journalist @Omar_Madaniah wrote that Dabaja “spent his youth killing Syrians.” Amin Ali Saad, who was imam of the town, is pictured between them wearing religious attire and was described by news sources as “one of Hezbollah’s religious leaders”.

It took some time for the bodies to be recovered from under the rubble of their home. According to one social media post, Ali Bilal, Fatima Zahra, and Tawfiq were found while work was still underway to find their grandmother, Amal Fayrez Burji, and their father and mother, who were later pronounced dead.

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