By Stephanie Rady
BEIRUT (AA) - Videos circulating Wednesday on social media showed the Israeli army blowing up a neighborhood in the southern Lebanese town of Mhaibib, a historical site that houses a shrine that is more than 2,100 years old.
The town in the Marjaayoun district in Nabatiyeh is about 115 kilometers (71 miles) from Beirut.
Mhaibib’s mukhtar, or village head, Qassem Ahmed Jaber, expressed uncertainty about the extent of the damage inflicted to buildings.
He attributed it to the evacuation of residents because of continuous Israeli attacks in the region
The town holds significant religious and historical value as it is home to the shrine of Prophet Benjamin, the son of Prophet Jacob, which attracts a large number of tourists, he told Anadolu.
The exact effect on the ancient site remains unknown, with no official comment as of yet from officials.
Earlier in October, the Israeli army warned residents of 26 towns in southern Lebanon, including Mhaibib, to evacuate, citing potential Hezbollah activities in the area.
Israel has mounted a huge air campaign in Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23, killing more than 1,500 people and displacing more than 1 million.
The aerial campaign is an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of Tel Aviv’s offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 42,400 people, most of them women and children, since a Hamas attack last year.
Israel expanded the conflict on Oct. 1 by launching an incursion into southern Lebanon.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio