On Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at approximately 11:00 a.m, an alleged Israeli airstrike in the town of Maaysra, located in Kasrawan, northeastern Lebanon, killed at least 16 civilians from three families, including children, and left several others injured. Members of the Amr family who were killed were reported to be relatives of a Hezbollah militant who had been killed in August 2024, Ali Mustafa Amr.

The strike – allegedly comprised of two missiles – destroyed a two-story building with six apartments, which was home to the Amr family as well as temporary home to the Qalit and Al-Hussein families, who had recently moved to Maaysra from Houla in search of safety.

Sayyida Khalil Amr, and her daughters, 3-year-old Rayhana and 10-year-old Ruqayya, died in the strike. Sayyida Khalil Amr was married to Ali Mustafa Amr. In a post on Salwa Amr’s Facebook page, she revealed that the house belonged to Ali Mustafa Amr, nicknamed “Abu Al-Ahrar.” Ali was a member of Hezbollah and had been killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike on Lebanon on August 4, 2024, as officially confirmed by Hezbollah and several media outlets.

Ali’s brother Hussein Mustafa Amr and Mustafa’s wife Shahnaz Shiran were also killed in the strike. A photo of the couple, shared in a Facebook post by Bintjbeil, showed them smiling, portraying a moment of happiness. The post garnered more than 200 comments from users expressing sorrow.

Other family members who were killed in the strike included 10-year-old Hussein Ayman Amr, Fatima Sobhi Amr (the wife of Ahmed Amr), and Malika Ayman Amr.

Sisters Fatima Mustafa Amr and Zainab Mustafa Amr also were killed in the strike. Iman Bark shared a post featuring their photographs, showing two young women smiling at the camera. Iman remembered them as “role model[s] of good and noble morals”. The post was followed by numerous comments, reflecting the shock felt by the community over the sudden loss of civilians, including children and young women.

The house also sheltered displaced families from the town of Houla. According to a post on the Facebook page “Legal Agenda” (المفكرة القانونية): “Yesterday, Wednesday, September 25, an Israeli airstrike targeted a house in the town of Al-Maaysra in the Jbeil district, leading to the martyrdom of 16 people, seven of whom were from the Al-Hussein, Qassem, and Qatish families from the southern town of Houla. They had fled Houla to Al-Maaysra in search of safety and hope for survival, but they did not know that they were going to their deaths. They left behind their stories that will not be forgotten, just as the stories of the martyrs who preceded them did not disappear.”

The post was accompanied by a collage of photographs of the victims, including many women and children. The collage included images of Sayyida Khalil Amr and her daughters, Rayhana and Ruqayya, as well as Fatima Mustafa Amr and Zainab Mustafa Amr. It also featured a young boy, presumably 10-year-old Hussein Ayman Amr, smiling and playing in what appears to be a classroom setting, wearing a school uniform.

Among the civilians who had recently fled from Houla was Samah Hussein Mazraani, who had lost her father, Naseefa Mazraani, in a strike on their home at the start of the conflict.

Also from Houla, Samira Hassan Hussein, Mohammad Hassan Hussein, Zahraa Jihad Zreiq, and Saadi Ayoub Fares Qalit were killed in the airstrike.

Pictures of the Houla civilians who died in Al-Maaysra were shared by several Facebook users, including Najba Kte and BintJbeil, with comments expressing grief that they had fled their homes in search of safety, only to face the opposite. The photos shared particularly highlighted the presence of children and women. Among these was a photo of the elderly Saadi Ayoub Fares Qalit. Her nephew, Firas Fares, shared several posts featuring images of her. One of his posts read: “The scene of death, martyrs, the screams of the displaced, and what I saw with my own eyes in the town of Al-Maaysra in Jbeil of a massacre against the people of my town Houla broke my heart. May God have mercy on the spirit of my town Houla, and I especially mention my aunt Umm Wahid Qutaish. I wish a speedy recovery for all the wounded. To God we belong and to Him we shall return.”

Firas Fares shared another post on November 4th, 40 days after the strike, to honor his aunt, Saadi Ayoub Fares Qalit. Even weeks later, Firas emphasised, the family was still “in the farewell ceremonies” but recognised that any “words of lamentation [would] fall short” when faced with “the greatness” of the deceased. Death, Firas wrote, was omnipresent: “Death sneaks into the veins of loved ones, striking with its arrows. How harsh its blow is, especially when it strikes in the fields of mothers who have endured so much.” He remembered his aunt Saadi as “a dutiful daughter and a second mother to her siblings” who “endured the hardships of life” and experienced a childhood “sprinkled with the sweat of hard work”. She was described as “patient” and “grateful” and was imbued with a spirit that “knew nothing but gratitude to God”. In her death, Firas wrote, her “spirit and presence will remain in [the family’s] hearts”.

Wafaa Mohammad Qalit Amr was also killed in the strike. A beloved woman in her community, she was remembered by her loved ones on social media. Originally from Bint Jbeil, she was married to journalist Muhammad Amr. According to the Telegram page “Echo of Dahieh,” Muhammad Amr worked in the media office of the “great scholar Sayyed Ali Fadlallah”.

On September 25th, 2024, Twitter/X user @alshamri10 shared a video with the caption the “raid…resulted in the death of the leader Muhammad Amr” who was “the head of Mount #Lebanon and the North in Hezbollah”. From @alshamri10’s post, it is unclear whether Mohammad was involved in Hezbollah in a militant capacity. Accounting for this current ambiguity, his civilian status has been marked as contested. This will be updated should additional information become available.

Fatima Kleit Hillany paid tribute to her aunt Wafaa in the following post: “My dearest and pure Aunt Umm Hadi… a kind-hearted and courageous woman whose spirit was not extinguished by the injury from the Israeli invasion nor by the relentless illness. She was the one from whom we drew faith and determination in the darkest moments of our lives. A generous soul with a pure heart that embraced all her loved ones. May Allah envelop you in His vast mercy and grant your husband, children, and family patience and solace. ”

Many photographs of Wafaa were shared, showing her smiling at the camera, wearing colourful clothing with floral patterns and jewellery.

Several videos and photographs were shared on social media and by official media outlets such as GLIS Media, Tawasal.com, Keserwan Daily News, Wadi News, among others, capturing moments just after the strike. These images and videos show the explosion still visible from various points across the city, highlighting the extent of the damage. Notably, the video shared by GLIS Media shows visible smoke from a distant point in the city.

Saida TV shared another video capturing the explosion from a closer vantage point. Compared to a nearby building that appears to be at least seven stories high, the smoke from the explosion rises at least twice as high, illustrating the scale of the blast.

Fatko Online shared pictures of the explosion from various angles and distances, along with an image of the aftermath at the site, showing the completely collapsed structure. El Metn Online also posted two photographs on their Facebook page, revealing details of the presumably collapsed structure, with one image clearly showing a missile.

Several updates and statements were released by both media outlets and the Civil Defense regarding the rescue efforts, which proved to be particularly challenging and took many hours to locate all the civilians. According to an official statement posted on the Lebanese Civil Defense’s Facebook page, specialized search and rescue teams from the General Directorate of Civil Defense successfully concluded their operations, including a comprehensive field survey in Al-Ma’asra, at 4:05 a.m. on September 26, 2024.

The preliminary outcome of the Civil Defense operations included “rescuing a girl from under the rubble and transporting her to the hospital”. It is not known whether she was deceased or injured. The Civil Defense also included “rescuing six other wounded people and transporting them to hospitals to receive the necessary medical care, and providing the necessary first aid to 11 injured people at the site.” Civil Defense also recovered the bodies of 11 civilians, which were then transported to hospitals “in cooperation with other ambulance agencies”. However, Twitter/X user @IiZeina alleged 22 had been killed. Additionally, the Civil Defense reported that its teams were able to extinguish the fire that broke out next to the targeted building.

According to a post on Al Rawabit’s Facebook page, “Political figures from parliament, parties, and the public began to flock to the town of Maaysra,” so as to denounce “the brutal attack” in what was once a  “peaceful and safe town in the Keserwan region.” The post was accompanied by a video of the explosion and a photograph of the collapsed structure, which coincided with images shared by other media outlets, including the munitions photographs shared by El Metn Online. Wadi News also commented on the presence of political figures and shared pictures of several individuals inspecting the damage amid the debris.

The funeral took place on Friday, September 27th, at 3:00 PM, as stated in an invitation post by Ziad Ghnawi (زياد غنوي). The post elaborated that those killed would be “buried in Maaysra as a farewell” until they could be “transferred, honored, and buried in the soil of Houla alongside the martyrs who preceded them.” 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.