Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 12 people, including two children and four women, in Southern Lebanon as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensifies despite a ceasefire agreement reached more than two months ago.
The Lebanese Health Ministry confirmed the deaths.
The ministry said one strike hit a residential building in Kfar Rumman, killing 11 people and injuring eight others, including three children and a paramedic.
A second Israeli strike hit a vehicle in the same area, killing another paramedic who worked with the Lebanese Islamic Risala Scout Association and wounding two other people, the ministry said.
The Israeli military said the attacks were carried out in response to two Hezbollah drone attacks that exploded while targeting Israeli troops in Lebanon.
The military said it also targeted a Hezbollah operative who was allegedly transporting weapons to Kfar Rumman.
The strikes came days after Israel said its forces had taken “operational control” of the strategic Ali Taher hill, which overlooks several villages and roads leading towards Nabatieh. The development has increased concern over renewed military operations in southern Lebanon.
The latest attacks followed a series of strikes in the area in recent days. According to Reuters, at least 11 people were killed in Israeli strikes on three towns near the Ali Taher ridge on Sunday, according to an updated toll from Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
The renewed violence has raised fears that the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah could come under further strain. The escalation is also occurring as regional tensions remain high amid the wider conflict involving Israel, Iran and the United States.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said the latest strikes caused casualties among civilians, including children and medical personnel. The Israeli military, however, maintained that its operations were directed at Hezbollah activity and weapons transfers rather than civilians.
The latest deaths add to the growing toll from renewed Israeli-Hezbollah hostilities in southern Lebanon, with further escalation threatening the fragile ceasefire and increasing pressure on efforts to prevent the conflict from widening.
