Israeli strikes kill at least 7 in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire with Hezbollah, officials say
Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed at least seven people and injured others on Saturday, according to officials, even as a ceasefire with Hezbollah remains in place. Israel’s military also issued fresh evacuation warnings for residents in nine southern villages, as cross-border violence continues despite the truce that took effect on April 17.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that strikes hit multiple locations, including a car in the village of Kfar Dajal that killed two people, a home in Lwaizeh that left three dead, and another strike in Shoukin that killed two more. The Israeli military said its air force carried out around 50 strikes over the past 24 hours targeting Hezbollah infrastructure and operatives, according to its Arabic-language spokesperson.
Hezbollah said it responded with a drone attack targeting Israeli troops gathered inside a house in the coastal village of Bayed. Meanwhile, Israel has continued to carry out near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon, with the military saying it is dismantling Hezbollah positions and destroying buildings it claims were used as militant outposts.
The Israeli military also released a video it said showed Hezbollah positions being destroyed, including footage of soldiers at a demolished soccer stadium in Bint Jbeil. The military said the site was struck after it was identified as being rigged with explosives.
The fighting is part of a wider conflict that escalated after Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel earlier this year, triggering Israeli airstrikes and a ground campaign in southern Lebanon. Since then, Israel has captured multiple border towns and villages, while both sides have continued exchanges of fire despite internationally brokered ceasefire efforts.
Lebanon and Israel, which have been formally in a state of war since 1948, have recently engaged in rare direct talks after decades of limited contact. The current ceasefire, initially announced in Washington, began on April 17 and was later extended, though violence on the ground has continued.
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