Lebanon strikes Israeli attacks kill 11 in south, health ministry says

Lebanon strikes killed at least 11 people in southern Lebanon on Saturday, according to the Lebanese health ministry, as Israel said it had targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in response to attacks on its soldiers.

Israeli warplanes struck a house in the southern village of Ansar, killing seven people, while another strike on Deir El Zahrani killed four, Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported. Nineteen people also suffered injuries.

The attacks rank among the deadliest in southern Lebanon since Beirut and Israel agreed to a US-mediated peace framework. Under the arrangement, Israeli forces remain in parts of southern Lebanon while Hezbollah faces pressure to disarm and the Lebanese army prepares to assume security responsibilities.

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Hezbollah has rejected those terms, describing them as a form of surrender.

Lebanon’s state news agency reported several additional Israeli airstrikes across the south, including attacks near Ali al-Taher hill, a strategic location north of the Litani River.

One strike near a valley close to Ansar reached deeper into Lebanese territory than any Israeli attack in the previous two months, according to NNA.

Hezbollah said the attacks would be “met with what they deserve”.

The seven people killed in Ansar included three children and two women, according to state media.

Israel said its military responded after Hezbollah carried out an attack against Israeli soldiers in the so-called security zone, injuring three personnel.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire and said the military targeted a Hezbollah headquarters responsible for the attack.

The Israeli statement also acknowledged that civilians had died but alleged that Hezbollah had placed them inside a military compound.

The latest violence adds to tensions surrounding the fragile ceasefire framework and highlights continuing disputes over Israeli military positions and Hezbollah’s weapons in southern Lebanon.