BEIRUT, Lebanon: Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon killed at least 12 people, including women and children, the Lebanese health ministry said on Monday, in a sharp escalation of violence despite a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
Eleven people, including two children and four women, were killed when an overnight strike destroyed a residential building in Kfar Roummane in the Nabatieh district, the ministry said. A second strike on a vehicle killed a paramedic.
The Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah infrastructure sites across southern Lebanon and targeted several fighters who were transferring weapons. It said the strikes followed the launch of two explosive drones towards its troops in Lebanon.
The military said it would continue operating to remove threats while remaining committed to the ceasefire agreement.
Hezbollah has not commented on the Israeli strikes or the military’s accusations. It has also not claimed responsibility for an attack since June 20.
Israeli strikes intensify in Lebanon
The latest attacks followed a series of Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon. The Lebanese health ministry said at least 27 people had been killed over the past three days.
Seven people were killed in Israeli strikes on Sunday and four others were killed on Friday, according to the figures provided by the ministry.
The violence has intensified after several weeks of relative calm. Israeli forces have continued to operate in a self-declared “security zone” along the border, which Israeli officials say is intended to prevent attacks from southern Lebanon.
The latest strikes hit Kfar Roummane, only a few hundred metres from the area occupied by Israeli forces.
Israel has also intensified strikes in the southern Nabatieh area after saying on Thursday that its forces had seized the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge from Hezbollah.
Residential building destroyed
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that the first strike hit a three-storey residential building near the Shuyuiya roundabout shortly after midnight.
The Lebanese health ministry said eight people were also wounded, including three children and a paramedic from the Islamic Health Association, an emergency service linked to Hezbollah.
A second strike hit a vehicle carrying paramedics from the Islamic Risala Scout Association, killing one and wounding two others, the ministry said.
The Risala Scouts is an emergency service affiliated with the Amal movement.
The paramedic killed in the strike was 18 years old, according to his civil defence organisation.
The ministry accused Israel of serious violations of international humanitarian law, saying the strikes had targeted medics and children.
Residents who returned to Kfar Roummane after being displaced during the conflict said they were again living under the threat of Israeli attacks.
Lebanon’s President warns of ceasefire collapse
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described the latest violence as a “dangerous escalation” and warned that it could undermine the ceasefire.
He urged Washington and the international community to put pressure on Israel to halt its attacks.
The ceasefire was intended to end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and reduce the risk of a wider confrontation in the region.
Fighting had declined following an Israel-Lebanon framework agreement in June.
However, Israeli forces have continued strikes in parts of southern Lebanon and remain deployed in territory they describe as a security zone.
Large numbers of residents have again begun leaving areas close to the zone as the latest attacks have intensified.
