On September 29th, 2024 at around 11:52 AM, at least 14 civilians, including seven children and seven women, were killed and 15 others were injured by an alleged Israeli raid on a residential building and a farm in Mazraat Zboud in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. The casualties all appeared to be relatives of Hezbollah militants, with three likely militants also killed in the strike.

The seven children were all reportedly between the ages of two and nine.

Posting to Twitter/X @mayadeenlebanon initially shared that four individuals had been killed. According to Lebanon News, at least 17 people were killed when Israeli forces struck a residential building and a farm in Mazraat Zboud, near the town of Ain in the Bekaa valley. A tweet from @news_hadeel which put the death toll at 10 also reported that 15 others were injured in the raid.

A Facebook post from Bint Jbeil News provided the names of victims of “The massacre in the town of Zboud – North of Baalbek… 17 members of one family.”

Thuraya Ballout was killed alongside three of hers sons, Muhammad Qasim al-Qadi, Ali Qasim al-Qadi, and Mehdi Qasim al-Qadi; and her two daughters, Zainab Qasim al-Qadi, and Fatima Qasim al-Qadi. They are survived by Thuraya’s husband and their children’s father, Qasim al-Qadi, as well as Thuraya’s fourth son and the siblings’ brother, Houssein al-Qadi.

Ala Aqil, who was married to Muhammad Qasim al-Qadi, was killed alongside their four children Ali Muhammad al-Qadi, Zahra Muhammad al-Qadi, Zainab Muhammad al-Qadi, and Jawad Muhammad al-Qadi.

Elham al-Atrash, who was married to Ali Qasim al-Qadi, were killed alongside their children Muhammad Ali al-Qadi, Qasim Ali al-Qadi, and Kian Ali al-Qadi.

Suzan Seif al-Din and her daughter Juhaina Nazha were also killed in the strike. Juhaina was engaged to Houssein Qasim al-Qadi, Thuraya and Qasim’s surviving son.

On October 10th, Houssein shared a video in which he interviews his father, Qasim al-Qadi. Standing in front of the rubble of his family’s home, a destroyed red car also visible in the back, Qasim says that the strike occurred at about 11 AM in the morning. He says that his wife, two daughters, and three sons, his two daughters-in-law, and their seven children grandchildren, were all killed. He specifies that the children were Ali and Muhammad’s, and he repeats that seven children, seven women, and three young men were killed.

Hussein al-Qadi, Thuraya and Qasim’s surviving son, posted almost daily in the weeks and month’s following the death of his family members. Posting to his personal Facebook account, the bio of which includes the line “9/29/2024 My entire family was martyred on the road to victory”, Houssein shared a post on September 29th, showing a collage of his 17 family members, a collage which was reposted by many other accounts. Accompanying the collage, Houssein wrote: “17 moons, my siblings, my mother, nephews, and fiancé.”

On October 6th, Houssein shared a post where he identifies his affiliation with Hezbollah, an affiliation confirmed by many other posts shared across his account. In the post on October 6th, Houssein outlines the events of September 29th. He writes, “on 29/9/2024, I left for my service at 8:15 in the morning. Before I left, my family said goodbye to me one by one. I kissed them all…By the time I arrived at the barracks around 11:10, I texted my fiancée that I had arrived to reassure her and my family…Around 11:52, I received news of a strong explosion in the town of Zbud and a heavy airstrike”,

Houssein goes on to describe hearing the news of his deceased family members, and how when he arrived back at the village he “saw body parts… everything was mutilated and torn apart. Only my brother and my two-year-old nephew Jawad, who was outside the house at the time of the strike, had their bodies intact, except for my nephew, who was hit by a shrapnel in his heart.”

Posting to Facebook on October 16th, Houssein shared a tribute to his mother Thuraya, whom he refers to as Umm Muhammad. Remembering his mother, Houssein wrote “My mother was one of the women who if there was no meat at home, she would cut the meat from her shoulder and make food.” Attached to the written tribute was an image of Thuraya, in which she is pictured wearing a black hijab over an intricately embroidered dress.

On November 17th, Houssein shared a tribute to his sisters, Zainab and Fatima, who he refers to warmly as Zanouba and Fatouma. In the post, Houssein wrote, “You were always at the top of your class, despite the many circumstances that you and I know well, but we would always say, “Thank God.”” He added that “every time I greeted a teacher, they would say, “May God keep your sisters for you because of their brilliance.”

Writing in a post shared on November 17th, Houssein described the deaths of his sisters Fatima and Zainab, saying that their martyrdom was “a martyrdom like no other—scattered body parts in every spot where they fell.”

Posting to Facebook, Ali al-Qadi, a cousin of Muhammed, Ali, Mehdi, and Houssein, shared two images of smiling baby boys, who he identified as Jawad and Kian. While Ali noted in another post that Jawad was two years old, based off of the images shared by Ali, Kian’s age is also estimated at two years.

In an image shared by Ali al-Qadi to Facebook on October 22nd, a cousin of Houssein, Mehdi, Muhammad, and Ali, Ali Muhammad al-Qadi, who appears to be five or six in the photograph, is pictured smiling at the camera. As the image is dated to 2022, it appears Ali may have been seven or eight when he was killed. Accompanying the photograph, Ali noted that the family would call him “Abu Ghamizat”.

In another post, shared by Houssein on October 24th, three young boys: Ali Muhammad al-Qadi and brothers Muhammad Ali al-Qadi and Qasim Ali al-Qadi are seen smiling at the camera, wearing uniforms associating them with Imam al-Mahdi Scout group.

On October 3rd, Houssein posted a video from September 27th, reportedly showing Muhammad Al-Qadi, Ali al-Qadi’s son, who appears to be seven or eight years old, in which he prays for “Sayyed Hassan”, referring to Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed on September 27th. Houssein notes that the video was filmed just three days before Muhammad and his father Ali were killed.

On November 2nd, Houssein shared an image of Zainab Qasim al-Qadi. In the image, Zainab, who is maybe three years old in the photograph, is seen smiling at the camera and wearing a small backpack. Behind her is large poster showing Hassan Nasrallah, the former Secretary General of Hezbollah who was killed on September 27th, 2024, giving a speech, though the image has been edited so a blurred box covers his face. In the caption, Houssein wrote “goodbye my dear niece.” He shared another image of Zainab on November 14th, in which an even younger, smiling Zainab, is pictured in a black dress, waving a Hezbollah flag.

Posting to Facebook in the days and months following the strike, Houssein posted tributes to his late fiancé, Juhaina, who he refers to by a nickname, “JoJo”. He writes that the couple was preparing for their “wedding, which was supposed to happen in 11 days”. He added that Juhaina had been an orphan, and used to say to him “God has compensated me with you.” He added, “Oh my beloved, now I celebrate you with pride, dignity, and honor. No matter what I say about you, it will never do you justice.”

Posting to Facebook, Ali al-Qadi wrote that Muhammad Qasim, Mehdi Qasim, and Ali Qasim were “fighters”. Images shared by other family members, identified the three men as associated with Hezbollah. A post shared by Houssein, includes an image presented in the style of a martyr’s photograph. In the image, Mehdi is pictured in military fatigues, including a patch identifying him as a member of the “Sayyeda al-Zahra Battalion.” Houssein shared another image in the style of a martyr’s photograph on October 16th. In the image, Mehdi, Muhammad, and Ali are all pictured, with Houssein beginning the accompanying text with “to my mujahideen brothers.”

On October 5th, Houssein shared another collaged photograph of ten of his family members who were killed on September 29th. Above the photograph is the phrase, written in Arabic calligraphy “السلام على الصحاب الحسين”, or “Peace be upon the companions of Hussein”, a phrase often invoked in eulogies.

On October 4th, Facebook user Abo Baqer shared a quote from the Quran, along with images from the memorial service for the Al-Qadi family, the “Lebanese family that sacrificed 17 martyrs…” In three of the images, a photograph of former Hezbollah Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah, is seen pinned to a black wall. In a separate post form the same day, Abo Baqer shared a video of the “eulogy…today at the Imam Al-Muntadhar Hussainiya in Basra Governorate. Memorial service for the martyrs of the Al-Qadi family – 17 martyrs.”

In a Facebook post shared by Ali Al-Qadi on October 31st, Ali noted that another 12 members of the family were wounded and “still receiving treatment today.” He also shared an image from the burial, in which shrouded bodies are visible, but blurred due to “Facebook community standards.” Alongside the images, Ali wrote “In the picture, there are 15 bodies” along with “the body of my uncle’s fiancée and her mother”. He added that the “15 bodies…are not complete, meaning some bodies have no heads, some have no arms, some have no legs, and some have half a body, and among them are children aged between 2 and 9 years old.”

An image shared by Ali al-Qadi to Facebook on November 11, 2024, shows a a large concrete slab with roses, candles, and a flower wreath. Some grave markers are visible in the background, along with a picture of the 17 members of the Al-Qadi family pinned to a concrete wall.

In a post shared by Aibna al-marjieia to Facebook included an image of at least 13 white shrouds lined up for buried. Two of the shrouded bodies are partially covered by a green flag with gold lettering. Posting to Facebook, Ali al-Qadi noted the importance of the green flag, writing that his cousin Muhammad had dreamed of being wrapped in a yellow flag when he died. Here, Ali appears to have been referring to the yellow Hezbollah flag. He added that due to the insecurity in the area in the aftermath of the strike, noting that as community members dug the grave, “they bombed a nearby house close to the cemetery, and the shrapnel reached the grave,” the family was unable to procure a yellow flag.

On December 8th, Houssein shared a video of the funeral procession for his family members. In it, mourners are seen gathered around a large black marble grave marker, on which the faces and names of the Al-Qadi family members are inscribed. Many of the mourners are seen dressed in black and wearing yellow Hezbollah flags. Members of Al-Mahdi Scouts are also seen making a funeral procession. In the procession, the scouts are playing drums, carrying coffins, and also martyr’s images of Muhammad, Mehdi, and Ali. He shared another video on December 9th in which he appears to be speaking at the funeral.

Facebook user Lilo Alhawli reshared the collages, writing, “The scent of the martyrs fills my village; it is the fragrance of the earth imbued with dignity and honor. It is the aroma that emanates from the folds of the soil when it mingles with the blood of heroes. It is not merely a scent to be inhaled but an eternal message inscribed for generations, narrating tales of great sacrifices and unwavering love for the homeland. It is the scent that never fades from the memory of the land, standing as a witness to the journey of sacrifice and heroism, as if it were a constant call for freedom and justice.”

A video posted by @Alhadath_news1 and many other sources was a far-away view showing plumes of smoke rising in the air, reportedly the site of the strikes in Mazraat Zboud. “Egyptians Association in Israel” posted another video closer to the site of the raid in which an ambulance can be seen parked in a residential area covered in smoke.

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

The incident occured at 11:52:00 local time.