At least 60 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in eastern Lebanon

According to the country’s health ministry, at least 60 people were killed and about 58 injured in Israeli attacks in eastern Lebanon.

The attacks targeted a number of cities and towns, including the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, where at least 34 people were killed.

According to the National News Agency, 16 people have died in the town of Sahl Allak in Baalbeck province, and the death toll continues to rise as rescue operations continue.

In Ramm, also in Baalbeck, an Israeli airstrike killed nine people, including a mother and her four children, and one person was injured, according to NNA.

Another strike on the outskirts of the Gouraud barracks camp in Baalbeck province, where several Palestinian refugees are staying, killed six people and injured 17 others.

In Hellaniyeh, two people were killed and eight were injured, while in Younine and Baalbeck, two more people were killed and six were injured, NNA reports.

The ruling came after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed his Lebanese counterpart to London on Monday and expressed condolences for the deaths of citizens killed in Israeli attacks.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said more than 2,700 people have been killed and nearly 12,600 injured in a year of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. One quarter of those killed were women and children.

Starmer and Prime Minister Najib Mikati agreed that an immediate ceasefire was necessary to protect civilians and critical infrastructure, according to a readout of the meeting provided by Starmer’s office.

“On the broader regional conflict, the Prime Minister stressed the need for all parties to de-escalate and work towards long-term, lasting peace in the Middle East,” Starmer’s spokesman said.

The meeting came after British Foreign Secretary David Lammy told British lawmakers that his Israeli counterpart Israel Katz said military efforts in Lebanon would end soon.