Israeli Airstrikes Kill Nine in South Lebanon, Worst Toll Since June

Nine people, including three children, were killed and 11 injured in two Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon early Saturday, representing the most significant loss of life since a ceasefire agreement in June.

Israeli warplanes bombed a house on the outskirts of Ansar, killing seven people and leveling the structure. Rescue efforts were underway to find survivors and recover bodies. Hours later, another Israeli airstrike targeted a home in Deir al-Zahrani, resulting in two deaths and nine injuries, scattering debris across the village streets.

An Israeli drone also reportedly struck a motorcycle in the nearby city of Nabatieh, though the outcome for the rider remains unclear. These attacks occurred despite a June agreement that had largely halted hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

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The seven martyrs of the Israeli strike on the town of Ansar were not ‘military infrastructure’ and the children and women killed were not military targets.

The Israeli military spokesperson, Ella Waweya, stated that the strikes targeted "Hezbollah infrastructure" in response to Hezbollah fighters attacking Israeli soldiers. She identified Ali Taher, a hill where Israel claims significant Hezbollah command centers are located, as a recent area of shelling.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the Israeli actions as "extremely dangerous" and detrimental to stability efforts in the south. He urged Israel to cease the escalation, asserting that the victims in Ansar were not military targets. Residents in southern Lebanon expressed anxiety about potential further escalation and the safety of their homes, with many fleeing north following the strikes.

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Israel had attacked ‘Hezbollah infrastructure’ in the Ansar and Nabatieh area in response to Hezbollah fighters attacking their soldiers in the Ali Taher area.