5 siblings, some of them deaf, among those killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon

TYRE, Lebanon (AP) — An Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre left at least seven people dead, among them five siblings, three of whom were deaf and mute, officials and a resident said Saturday. Elsewhere in Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes killed 31 people.

The rise in Tyre’s death toll came as Israel’s air force carried out airstrikes on different parts of southern and eastern Lebanon on Saturday hours after Beirut’s southern suburbs were pounded by jets, destroying several buildings, state media reported.

The Health Ministry said late Saturday that the airstrikes on towns and villages in the eastern Bekaa Valley and Baalbek-Hermel province left 20 people dead while those in two villages in south Lebanon killed 11 people, including five paramedics.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah group said it fired dozens of rockets on northern Israel and shot down a drone over south Lebanon. The group said that Israel’s air force struck the area where the drone crashed. There was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli military.

The Health Ministry said the strikes on Tyre late Friday night also wounded 46 people. It added that remains also were found in rubble and DNA tests will be used to identify the victims.

Youssef Jundi, a Tyre resident, told The Associated Press that the airstrikes destroyed several buildings in the coastal city.

He said that his long-time neighbor and friend, Ghazwa Dabouk, was among those killed. Dabouk’s sisters Elissar, Rabab and Fidaa, who were deaf and mute, were also killed in the airstrike, together with Dabouk's brother Ali, who had autism.

The Israeli military said it attacked the Tyre offices of Hezbollah’s intelligence department as well as a command and control center for the group in the city.

More than 3,000 people were killed in Lebanon during the 13 months of the Israel-Hezbollah war.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel the day after Hamas’ surprise attack into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, ignited the war in Gaza. Hezbollah and Hamas are both allied with Iran.

For nearly a year, the conflict was mostly contained to the areas along the border between Israel and Lebanon. The conflict dramatically escalated on Sept. 23 with intense Israeli airstrikes on south and east Lebanon as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs, leaving hundreds dead and leading to the displacement of nearly 1.2 million people.

Israel began a ground invasion of south Lebanon on Oct. 1, causing wide destruction in border villages but making little advances on the ground inside Lebanon. Israel says it is destroying Hezbollah weapons and command centers near the border, including an extensive tunnel system built by Hezbollah.

Mroue reported from Beirut.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Resident check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

Emergency workers search for survivors at the scene of an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

Resident check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

A resident checks the site of an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

Resident check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

Resident check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

Resident check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

Resident check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

Resident check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

A resident checks the site of an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

Residents check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon , Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A picture of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah hangs in a destroyed building at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A resident checks the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon , Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Residents check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Journalists gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon , Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Residents check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon , Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Residents check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Residents check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon , Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Residents check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon , Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A resident checks the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump announced that he is nominating former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the Central Intelligence Agency.

A former Republican congressman from Texas, Ratcliffe served as director of national intelligence for the final year and a half of Trump’s first term, leading the U.S. government’s spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation’s highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement. “He will be a fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans, while ensuring the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.”

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel and longtime friend Steven Witkoff to be a special envoy to the Middle East, Trump announced Tuesday.

Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel, and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Witkoff is a Florida real estate investor who is serving as a chair of Trump’s inaugural committee. He also spent time in the world of New York real estate, where Trump first made his mark as a public figure.

On Tuesday, Trump also named Bill McGinley, his Cabinet Secretary in his first administration, as his White House counsel.

Trump is rolling out a steady stream of appointees and nominees for his upcoming administration, working thus far at a faster pace and without as much drama as his first transition following his 2016 victory.

“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years,” Trump said in a statement. “He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”

Huckabee has led paid tour group visits to Israel for years, frequently advertising the trips on conservative-leaning news outlets.

David Friedman, who served as Trump's ambassador to Israel in his first term, said he was “thrilled” by Trump's selection of Huckabee.

Witkoff is also the president-elect’s golf partner and was with him when he was the target of a second assassination attempt at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September.

Trump's transition team did not offer details about the Middle East envoy role, but Trump, in a statement said, “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud.”

The selection of Witkoff follows a pattern for Trump in putting people close to him in pivotal roles on the Middle East portfolio. Eight years ago he appointed his former corporate attorney Jason Greenbaltt as his special representative for international negotiations and relied on his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as his personal envoy in talks in the region.

FILE - Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, testifies before a hearing April 18, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

FILE - Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., takes questions from the media, prior to laying a brick at a new housing complex in the West Bank settlement of Efrat, Aug. 1, 2018. President-elect Donald Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel. Trump said Tuesday that Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel’s interests as it wages wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.(AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)

FILE - Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., takes questions from the media, prior to laying a brick at a new housing complex in the West Bank settlement of Efrat, Aug. 1, 2018. President-elect Donald Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel. Trump said Tuesday that Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel’s interests as it wages wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.(AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump talks with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee during a roundtable at the Drexelbrook Catering & Event Center, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in Drexel Hill, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)