Israeli airstrikes hit buildings near funeral

Israeli airstrikes hit near a funeral procession in south Lebanon today, sending some of the 1,500 mourners running in panic and killing at least six people in nearby buildings, witnesses and the town’s mayor said.

Missiles slammed into a building in Ghaziyeh, a Shiite town south-east of the port city of Sidon, about five minutes after the procession passed. One person was killed and five wounded in that attack, rescuers and witnesses said.

Thirty minutes later, Israeli warplanes staged four more bombing runs, destroying two buildings, said Ghaziyeh Mayor Mohammed Ghaddar.

Five bodies were pulled out of the rubble, but between 10 and 15 more were believed trapped under the wreckage, he said.

Witnesses said one of the destroyed houses belonged to Sheik Mustafa Khalifeh, a cleric linked to Hezbollah, but it was unclear if he was among the casualties.

Most Hezbollah officials have left their homes and offices since the offensive began nearly a month ago.

After the first strike, screams of “Allahu Akbar! (God is great)” rang out in the crowd marching with coffins. Some broke away from the procession, others continued on.

Fifteen people died in Ghaziyeh yesterday, when Israeli airstrikes flattened three buildings there.

The town has been targeted several times, but yesterday’s and today’s attacks were the heaviest.

The town was overflowing with displaced people, who have swelled its population to 23,000.