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Israel’s aerial bombardment of Hezbollah militant positions severed a vital lifeline for tens of thousands of civilians seeking refuge across the border. The Masnaa Border Crossing was reduced to rubble in an Israeli airstrike on Thursday night, effectively sealing off Lebanon’s primary route to Syria.
Lebanese Transport Minister Ali Hamieh, a member of Hezbollah, said the arterial road was rendered impassable after Israeli strikes created a massive 12-foot crater, leaving thousands stranded.
India Today TV’s Ashraf Wani, the only Indian journalist on the ground, captured the harrowing scenes of desperation and chaos. Men, women, and children of all ages scrambled over treacherous terrain, their faces etched with fear and exhaustion.
(Image: India Today)
Mothers clutched their children tightly, while others cradled infants as they navigated the bombed-out stretch of land.
(Image: India Today)
Young children hopped and skidded down steep inclines as their exhausted parents urged them forward.
(Image: India Today)
Those who had travelled in vehicles were forced to abandon them, continuing their journey on foot across the landscape that resembled a perilous obstacle course.
(Image: India Today)
People trudged along with whatever belongings they could carry, their lives uprooted by the relentless bombing.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) justified the strike, claiming it targeted a two-mile-long tunnel used by Hezbollah to smuggle Iranian weapons into Lebanon. The tunnel, operated by Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, was allegedly destroyed along with nearby buildings, weapon depots, and other infrastructure.
Over the past ten days, an estimated 310,000 people have fled the escalating conflict through the Masnaa border point, the Lebanese government said. But its destruction has left many in dire straits, with few options to escape the violence.
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