Israeli Strike on Eastern Lebanon Village Kills 12

An Israeli airstrike on a village in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley killed 12 people late Monday, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency. The strike came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he had authorized more intensive operations targeting the Hezbollah militant group across Lebanon.

The Israeli military has not commented on this specific strike. However, they stated on Monday that they were targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in eastern Lebanon. Rescue workers reported pulling a dozen bodies from the rubble after a significant wave of overnight strikes hit parts of southern and eastern Lebanon.

These intensified attacks precede direct talks scheduled between Lebanese and Israeli military delegations in Washington in three days. The Lebanese government hopes these negotiations, which Hezbollah opposes, will lead to a ceasefire.

Hezbollah has been attacking Israeli troops in southern Lebanon and northern Israeli towns, vowing to continue its fight until Israel halts its daily airstrikes and withdraws its forces. The conflict, sparked by Hezbollah rocket fire into northern Israel on March 2 in solidarity with Iran, has displaced over one million people in Lebanon.