Children killed in Lebanon as Israeli strikes hit homes far from front lines of war with Hezbollah

Jawad Younes (11) and his cousins were playing soccer in the lot between their houses, as they often did. His little brother, four-year-old Mehdi, had joined them but grew tired, so Jawad took him home and handed him off to their mother before returning to the game. Minutes later, an Israeli strike came.

The target was Jawad’s uncle’s home. The blast shook neighbouring buildings and threw Jawad’s siblings at home to the ground. As their mother, Malak Meslmani, scrambled to help them up, she could think only of Jawad.