Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon resulted in the deaths of four individuals, including two women, as confirmed by the Lebanese Health Ministry on Sunday. The strikes were carried out in response to alleged Hezbollah drone attacks in areas controlled by Israeli forces, despite a ceasefire brokered by the United States with Hezbollah in June.
According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, two men were killed in a town near the Israeli-occupied zone, while the two women were killed in Arab Salim, situated north of the occupied area. The Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for areas near a building in Arab Salim that was reportedly being used by Hezbollah, resulting in the deaths of two girls and injuries to six others in the subsequent strike.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s office condemned the strikes, which reportedly destroyed a hospital and damaged a Finance Ministry building, labeling them as a “dangerous escalation” targeting civilian establishments. President Aoun held Israel responsible for the escalation and called on the international community to intervene and hold the perpetrators accountable.
The Israeli military stated that their targets included Hezbollah weapons storage facilities and a command center inside a building that was previously a hospital. They claimed to have used precision munitions and aerial surveillance to minimize civilian casualties. Sunday’s evacuation warning marked the second since the ceasefire announcement in June.
In a separate incident on Friday, four people were killed and 23 injured in Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon without prior evacuation warnings, targeting Hezbollah weapons storage facilities. Hezbollah criticized Israel’s actions as an attempt to pressure the Lebanese government, which has been in talks with Israel under U.S. mediation, a move opposed by the Iran-backed group.
Since March 2, over 4,300 individuals have been killed in Lebanon due to Israeli airstrikes following Hezbollah’s actions in support of Iran.
