White House confirms death of American in Lebanon as Israel launches ground invasion

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The White House confirmed Wednesday the death of an American in Lebanon, calling it a "tragedy" amid Israel's invasion of the small Mediterranean nation.

"We are deeply saddened by the death of Kamel Ahmad Jawad and our hearts go out to his family and friends. His death is a tragedy, as are the deaths of many civilians in Lebanon," a National Security Council spokesperson told Anadolu on condition of anonymity.

The White House did not specify a cause of death, but his daughter, Nadine Jawad, said her father was killed in an Israeli airstrike while he was "trying to save innocent lives in his hometown of Nabatieh, Lebanon."

"We are honored by my father's sacrifice. In his last days, he chose to stay near the main hospital in Nabatieh to help the elderly, disabled, injured and those who simply couldn't financially afford to leave," she wrote in a statement posted to Instagram.

"He served as their guardian, provided them with food, mattresses, and other comforts, and anonymously paid off their debts. I would often ask him if he was scared, and he repeatedly told me that we should not be scared because he is doing what he loves the most: helping others live in the land he loved the most," she added.

Nabatieh is a small inland city located in eastern Lebanon.

The junior Jawad said her father was a US citizen but that "should not make his story more important than others," adding his life "is one of over 50,000 lives lost at the hands of Israeli aggression across the Middle East."

Kamel Ahmad Jawad was a resident of Dearborn, Michigan, and his funeral is scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. local time (1900GMT) at the Islamic Center of America in the Detroit suburb.

The news of Jawad's death comes as Israel begins its ground invasion of Lebanon after carrying out a wave of escalating airstrikes across Lebanon that have killed over 1,000 people and injured over 2,950 others since Sept. 23.

Israel says the strikes are aimed at Hezbollah targets, but roughly a quarter of the dead have been women and children, according to official Lebanese figures.

Eight Israeli soldiers were killed Wednesday in clashes with Hezbollah fighters in a series of attacks that took place on Lebanese territory near the Israeli border.