Israeli Strikes on Southern Lebanon Kill 11, Raising Border Tensions
Israeli airstrikes killed 11 in southern Lebanon, including children, in the deadliest breach of the June 20 ceasefire.
Tensions along the Israeli-Lebanese border have escalated sharply following Israeli airstrikes on Saturday that killed at least 11 people in southern Lebanon. The attacks, described as the deadliest since the truce between Israel and Hezbollah took effect on June 20, have drawn strong criticism from Lebanese officials.
Lebanon's Health Ministry and state news agency reported that a strike on a home near Ansar village killed seven people, including three children, and wounded two others. A separate attack on the village of Deir al-Zahrani killed four people and injured 17.
Israeli warplanes also targeted the strategic Ali Taher hill, which overlooks parts of the southern city of Nabatiyeh and key access roads, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.
The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in the Ali Taher and Ansar areas in response to an attack on its soldiers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office accused Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire by attacking Israeli troops inside Lebanon, seriously wounding three soldiers. The military later clarified that the soldiers were hurt by an explosive drone.
Israel also confirmed that the strike on Ansar killed Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan, a battalion commander with Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force. The military said his family was with him and was harmed, but insisted they were not targeted. Social media posts by Hezbollah supporters showed photographs of the commander with his wife and three sons, saying all were killed.
The attacks come amid a fragile "framework agreement" announced on June 26, which outlines a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon in exchange for the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah. The deal envisions steps toward a potential peace agreement between the two countries, which remain technically at war. Hezbollah has refused direct talks and was not party to the agreement.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the strikes, saying they intimidate "residents in their homes" and undermine efforts to stabilize the south. Despite the truce, Israel's military has continued near-daily attacks north of the Litani River, while large areas to the south remain under Israeli control.
The latest conflict began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets across the border two days after U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. Since then, more than 4,000 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians. On the Israeli side, about 40 soldiers and three civilians have been killed.