Israeli Airstrikes on Southern Lebanese Village Kill Nine

At least nine people were killed and 11 others wounded in Israeli airstrikes on the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Rumman early Monday, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. The strikes, which occurred around 1:30 a.m., targeted a residential building and a car in the village.

The ministry reported that eight of the deceased, including a child and two women, were killed when a building was hit. A separate strike on a vehicle killed a paramedic affiliated with the Lebanese Islamic Risala Scout Association and wounded two others. Among the wounded are four children and two women.

A neighbor of the targeted building, Wafaa Ahmad, described the suddenness of the attack. She recounted being awakened by loud booms without any prior warning of aircraft or missiles. She said rubble and glass fell on her and her daughter as she lay in bed, and that smoke filled the house as she crawled out, fearing for her sons' safety before hearing they were unharmed.

Video footage from the scene showed civil defense teams and Lebanese army personnel searching through rubble, with bulldozers clearing debris from the destroyed property.

The strikes mark a new escalation between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah, despite a U.S.-brokered truce that has been in place for over two months. The ceasefire has been repeatedly violated, with Israel conducting airstrikes in Lebanon and Hezbollah firing drones at Israeli troops.

In June, Lebanon and Israel signed a U.S.-mediated framework agreement under which Israeli forces were to withdraw from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament. However, implementation has stalled. Hezbollah, which is not party to the talks, has refused to surrender its weapons north of the Litani River, while Israeli officials insist on complete disarmament before any withdrawal.