Villages Razed As "Lost Tribe" Of Israel Caught In Manipur Crossfire

The Bnei Menashe community claims to have descended from Manasseh, one of biblical "lost tribes" of Israel exiled in 720 BC by Assyrian conquerors.

A "lost tribe" of Israel in northeast India has been swept up in months of deadly ethnic violence, with at least one death, synagogues torched and hundreds forced to flee, members say.

Villages have been "razed to the ground", with two synagogues destroyed and one death confirmed among the 5,000-strong community in India since fighting in Manipur erupted in May, Lalam Hangshing, president of the Bnei Menashe Council, told AFP.

The Bnei Menashe community claims to have descended from the Manasseh -- one of the biblical "lost tribes" of Israel exiled in 720 BC by Assyrian conquerors.