Israel attacked the Lebanese capital Beirut with a new wave of powerful air strikes overnight. A miraculous survival has stunned rescuers and doctors alike in southern Lebanon, where two-year-old Ali Khalifeh was pulled from the rubble 14 hours after an Israeli airstrike flattened his family’s apartment building.
His parents, sister, and two grandmothers were all killed in the attack on October 29, in the town of Sarafand, located just 15 kilometres south of Sidon.
In Lebanon A Miracle Among the Rubble
Rescuers had almost given up hope of finding any survivors when Ali was discovered in the debris. “We thought he was dead,” said Hussein Khalifeh, Ali’s father’s uncle, speaking from a hospital in Sidon. “Then he appeared in the bulldozer’s shovel, barely breathing after being trapped for 14 hours.”
Ali’s condition was dire; his right hand had to be amputated, and he remains under a medically induced coma.
The strike in Sarafand destroyed an apartment complex, killing at least 15 people, many of whom were members of the Khalifeh family.
The attack was part of Israel’s broader military campaign against Hezbollah, which has escalated since late September, shifting focus from Gaza to Lebanon. The airstrikes have killed over 3,117 people in Lebanon since the campaign began.
‘Psychological Scars’ from the Tragedy
At the hospital, Ali’s condition remains critical, and his relatives are preparing for further surgeries to aid in his recovery. “Ali was sleeping on the couch when the strike hit,” Hussein Khalifeh explained. “He’s still asleep today… We are waiting for his surgeries to complete before we wake him up.”
The devastation was not limited to Ali. Zainab, a 32-year-old relative, was trapped for two hours under the rubble before being rescued. When she was brought to a nearby hospital, she learned that her parents, husband, and three young children had all perished in the strike.
Zainab herself survived with only one eye intact, having suffered severe injuries. “She didn’t hear the missiles that rained down on her family’s home,” Hussein said. “She only saw darkness and heard deafening screams.”
Israel Shifts Focus From Gaza, Pounds Lebanon
The events of October 29 are part of the broader toll that Israel’s air campaign has exacted on Lebanon. Israel launched the strikes after tensions with Hezbollah escalated following weeks of cross-border clashes.
Israel, on Friday, has launched at least 12 strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs over recent hours, while attacks in the city of Tyre have killed three people and injured 30 others. In Lebanon, at least 3,117 people have been killed and 13,888 wounded in Israeli attacks since the war on Gaza began.
