Several members of a family were killed in fresh Israeli attacks in Lebanon on Thursday, health authorities said, as tensions between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah continue to escalate despite a ceasefire.
Six people were killed in a strike south of the coastal city of Sidon in the morning, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. The dead included two children as well as their mother and father, it added.
The state news agency NNA reported that the victims were a family displaced by the fighting.
NNA also reported that two people were killed in an Israeli drone strike targeting a motorcycle near the coastal city of Tyre. The Ministry of Health said one of the dead was a child. The victims were said to be Syrian nationals.
Another strike was reported directly in the city of Sidon, where deaths and injuries were also reported. Exact casualty figures were not immediately available.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said nothing could justify the continued attacks targeting the southern regions of Tyre and Nabatiyeh, the destruction of their historic landmarks, or the threats against civilians.
He added that Lebanon would continue mobilizing Arab and international support to secure a proper ceasefire and achieve an Israeli withdrawal, calling it a national duty and a non-negotiable right.
Hundreds of thousands forced to flee
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is also aghast.
“UNIFIL is deeply concerned by the recent escalation in south Lebanon. Ongoing conflict is causing deaths, injuries, and widespread destruction,” a statement said.
“The situation is further undermining stability in the area. Civilians continue to bear the heaviest impact. Hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee their homes, often at very short notice. “
The Israeli military did not comment on the reports in southern Lebanon but confirmed it carried out a strike in Beirut on Thursday, describing the operation as “targeted” without initially providing further details.
While exchanges of fire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon have intensified again in recent weeks, Beirut had seen only one strike since a truce officially took effect in mid-April.
According to the Israeli military, that earlier strike around three weeks ago targeted a commander from Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Unit.
Lebanese reports said the latest strike hit a residential building in the Choueifat district on the outskirts of the capital. Dpa reporters said drones had been audible over large parts of Beirut.
There were initially no reports of possible casualties.
Israeli soldier killed
The Israeli military on Thursday also reported the death of its own soldier.
According to Israeli media reports, she was killed in a Hezbollah drone attack near the Lebanese border. Two other soldiers were injured in the incident on Wednesday, the military said.
The Lebanese army, which is not a party to the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, said one of its soldiers was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Nabatiyeh province on Thursday.
On Wednesday evening, the Israeli military declared large parts of southern Lebanon a “combat zone.” Residents of Tyre, Nabatiyeh and surrounding areas were told to leave.
According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, three people were killed and 37 injured in a strike near Tyre on Wednesday evening.
“It was a terrible night,” one resident of Tyre told dpa. “Attack after attack,” he said, adding that electricity had failed in many areas and many people had spent the night on the beach.
Long lines of traffic formed, heading north towards Beirut, following the Israeli evacuation warnings.
Hezbollah has rejected further negotiations with Israel despite the supposed ceasefire.
The Israeli army said it intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” near Israeli troops in southern Lebanon on Thursday, triggering air raid sirens in northern Israel.