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Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon kill 11, including children, in deadliest attacks since truce
🇺🇸 United States /Conflict & Security

Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon kill 11, including children, in deadliest attacks since truce

From PBS NewsHour · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 11 people on Saturday, marking the deadliest attacks since a truce began June 20.
  • The strikes targeted a home in Ansar, killing seven including three children, and another in Deir al-Zahrani, killing four.
  • Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the attacks, calling them an escalation that undermines stability efforts and violates residents' right to life.

Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday resulted in at least 11 fatalities, marking the most severe attacks since a fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah took hold on June 20. Lebanon's Health Ministry and state news agency reported that one strike hit a home on the outskirts of Ansar, killing seven people, including three children, and injuring two others. A separate strike in Deir al-Zahrani claimed four lives and wounded 17.

The seven martyrs of the Israeli airstrike on the town of Ansar are not military infrastructure and the children and women killed were not military targets.

— Nawaf SalamLebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam criticized Israel's airstrikes on southern Lebanon.

These attacks represent a significant escalation, occurring despite a "framework agreement" announced June 26. This deal outlines an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament, with the ultimate goal of a peace agreement. However, Hezbollah was not a party to the deal and has refused direct talks.

Israel must halt this escalation.

— Nawaf SalamLebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called for an end to the Israeli airstrikes.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam sharply criticized Israel's actions, stating they intimidate civilians in their homes and jeopardize efforts to stabilize the region. He emphasized that the victims in Ansar were not military targets and that the security and right to life of the Lebanese people are non-negotiable. President Joseph Aoun suggested the strikes send a clear message to ongoing negotiations and American mediation efforts.

The security of the Lebanese people and their right to life on their land "are not subject to negotiation or bargaining."

— Nawaf SalamLebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam asserted the non-negotiable rights of the Lebanese people.

The Israeli military stated it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in response to an earlier action. Saturday's strikes were the deadliest since the truce, following an incident on July 6 where four people died in Nabatiyeh Fawqa. The day before the truce, June 19, Israeli strikes killed 83 and wounded 141, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The strikes are "a clear message to the negotiation track and to the American efforts aimed at implementing this agreement."

— Joseph AounPresident Joseph Aoun commented on the potential implications of the strikes for ongoing negotiations.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by PBS NewsHour in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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