Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least nine people Saturday, the deadliest escalation since a June 20 truce between Israel and Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that a strike on a home in Ansar killed seven people, including three children. Another strike in Deir al-Zahrani killed two others. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the attacks on X, saing the victims were not military targets and urging Israel to halt the "intimidation". Strikes also targeted the strategic Ali Taher hill overlooking Nabatiyeh.
The Israeli military claimed it hit Hezbollah infrastructure in response to actions against its soldiers. Hezbollah was not party to the June 26 "framework agreement," which envisioned Israeli withdrawal in exchange for the group's disarmament. Despite seven rounds of talks, including recent sessions in Rome, Hezbollah refuses to disarm.
Since the war erupted on March 2, over 4,000 people have been killed in Lebanon. On the Israeli side, approximately 40 soldiers and three civilians have died, including two soldiers killed in an explosion earlier this month.