Family of Syrian children killed in Israeli strike on Lebanon struggle for answers

'I don't know why this happened – for five months, nothing had happened, we were never targeted,' says father of one of the three boys killed by a drone

Relatives and friends mourn over the bodies of three children killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon. AFP

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The family of three Syrian-Kurdish children killed in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon had tried to find safety elsewhere after the area became a conflict zone last year but returned five months ago as they could not afford the cost, the father of one of the victims told The National.

Brothers Jan, 9, and Mohammad Jarkas, 6, and their cousin Khalil Khalil, 11, were killed as they were playing outside their family home on a farm in the village of Umm Al Tut. Their funeral was held near the southern port city of Tyre on Wednesday.

Umm Al Tut, where the boys' family had worked at a fruit farm for years after fleeing Afrin in Syria, lies on the border with northern Israel where almost daily exchanges of fire have been taking place between the Israeli army and Hezbollah since the start of the Gaza war in October.

"We are Syrian. We came here to raise our children. I've been here since 2013, after the civil war began," said Mohamed Khalil, Khalil's father.

After the cross-border fire began, "we fled to Beirut, then to Dawra, and then to Jezzine. But we couldn't afford it. We were spending 10 days in one house, then moved to another. It wasn't a life. So we came back to Bustane and for five months, with the children, things were good," Mr Khalil said, his voice breaking as he spoke to The National by phone.

Harder for Syrians

"Yesterday, my son told me he wanted to play. I told him, 'OK come back in 30 minutes.' Then we heard the sound of an explosion. I couldn't find him right away.

"I don't know why this happened – for five months, nothing had happened, we were never targeted. Only God knows why."

Mr Khalil said the family were now in Qasmiyeh, a village about 7km north of Tyre. "I don't know what we will do or where we will go. We have no idea. Our situation is more difficult as Syrians trying to find a house. May God bring us back to our land. No one was raised to live in humiliation."

Most Lebanese residents of the border areas with Israel have moved away to safety, but it is not so easy for Syrian refugees such as Mr Khalil and his family.

"Their entire livelihood depends on farming," said Ahmad Al Adnan, the mayor of Al Bustan village near Umm Al Tut who now lives in Tyre.

"What would they do elsewhere? It's harder for Syrians to relocate."

Mr Al Adnan said the dead boys were from one of eight families who had stayed behind in the area, but Tuesday's attack sent them fleeing.

"They thought they would be safe: they’re peaceful civilians, children, farmers, not hiding from anything. They were wrong," he told The National.

The cross-border violence started after Hezbollah fired missiles into northern Israel in support of its ally Hamas, which launched a deadly attack into southern Israel on October 7, prompting an Israeli offensive in Gaza.

The exchanges of fire have gradually extended beyond the border area, with Israel striking deeper north into Lebanese territory, and Hezbollah launching heavier and longer-range weaponry into northern Israel. More than 511 people have been killed, mostly fighters but also at least 107 civilians, according to an AFP tally. At least 150,000 people have been displaced on both sides of the border, more than 90,000 in Lebanon.

Israel's message to villagers

Mr Al Adnan said the drone strike in Umm Al Tut was to send a clear message to remaining residents in southern Lebanon and to turn villages into ghost towns.

"All the families have left the village after the killing. The parents have temporarily moved to Tyre and I don't know what will happen to them next," he said.

"Israel wants to scare us and when you see what’s happening in Gaza, with dozens of children dying every day and no one to hold them accountable internationally, why would they care? Children are dying for nothing, this should stop."

Unicef described the killing of the three children on Tuesday as horrific and warned that "more children are at risk as long as the violence continues".

Two Syrian men were killed earlier on Tuesday in a drone strike on their motorcycle as they rode towards the town of Kafr Tibnita. Security sources identified them as Abdul Muttalib Abdul Fattah Nanis and Hamza Marhej Shaaban.

Hezbollah fired dozens of Katyusha rockets at the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona in what it said was retaliation for “the targeting of civilians, especially Kafr Tibnit, and the martyrdom of two civilians”.

Hezbollah's vow

In a televised address to mark the Shiite holy day of Ashura on Wednesday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the group could expand its attacks in Israel.

“Continuing to target civilians will push the resistance to launch rockets and target new settlements that have not been targeted before," he said.

Tensions between Hezbollah and Israel have mounted in recent weeks as diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza have stalled. Israel has prepared for a land incursion into southern Lebanon to restore security for its displaced residents on the northern border. Hezbollah has said it does not want a war but it is ready for one if it is imposed on Lebanon.

"If your tanks enter Lebanon and its southern regions, you won’t have to worry about a shortage of tanks – there will be no tanks left," Mr Nasrallah said, referring to Israel's recent admission of a shortage of armoured military vehicles and ammunition.

Mr Nasrallah has repeatedly said Hezbollah will stop its attacks only in the event of a ceasefire in Gaza. In that case, he said, "the responsibility for negotiating and providing answers falls to the Lebanese state".

Regarding the destruction in south Lebanon, which has suffered at least $1.7 billion in damage, Lebanese authorities estimate, the Hezbollah leader said villages would be rebuilt to "their former state" and "even more beautiful, for they stand as symbols of our steadfastness and resistance".