On September 26, 2024, an alleged Israeli bombing reportedly struck the town of Hermel in Baalbek, Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of four civilians. Multiple social media and news sources confirmed the strike, describing the incident as “tragic.”

This attack appears to be part of a broader offensive in the Baalbek-Hermel region, with social media users such as Facebook user Ghada Moussa detailing strikes and resulting casualties in Younin, Karak, Shaat, Nabi Sheet, and Baalbek, in addition to Hermel. Ghada Moussa also reported that efforts were still underway to remove rubble and search for survivors.

MTV News reported that the Public Health Emergency Operations Center of the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health issued a statement announcing that “the Israeli enemy’s raids in the past twenty-four hours on towns and villages in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate led to the martyrdom of twenty-five people and the injury of fourteen others.” Social media users such as Adoaa Alyaqza Arabia and Syria Event stated that the latest Israeli airstrikes in the Hermel region targeted border crossings between Lebanon and Syria.

While reports confirmed civilian deaths, sources did not specify the number of civilians injured and did not provide identifying information about either the deceased or the wounded.

Videos circulated on social media showed the attacks and their aftermath. One widely shared Facebook video depicted a fire in a targeted area, presumably following a recent raid. As the individual filming continued to capture the aftermath, an airstrike was conducted nearby. The video shows the moment of impact, with a large cloud of smoke rising, followed by secondary explosions and bursts of flames. Facebook user Sopo Sy captioned the video, suggesting that the “secondary explosions and massive fires” could indicate that “weapons depots or launch sites were targeted.”

Other videos showcased further destruction. Facebook user Event Lebanon shared footage of smoke rising into the sky, presumably after the attacks.

A photograph shared by Facebook user @Elie Hasbani showed an injured person bleeding on the road. The image was captioned: “Targeting a motorcycle on the Baalbek-Hermel road now,” suggesting that the attack in Hermel was part of the wider assault on the Baalbek-Hermel region.

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

No further details were available regarding the number of injured victims or the identities of those killed. As a result, in line with Airwars methodology, the civilian harm grading for this incident has been rated as weak due to the limited information available, pending further updates.