Israeli Airstrikes Kill 13 in Southern Lebanon, Ceasefire Undermined
At least 13 people, including four women and a child, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon, the Lebanese health ministry said on Saturday. A total of 32 people were injured in the attacks, marking one of the deadliest days since a three-week ceasefire extension was announced.
Two women and a child were among eight killed in Haboush in the Nabatieh district, where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had previously issued an evacuation order. Four people, including two other women, were killed in Zrarieh in the Sidon district, while another person died in Ain Baal in the Tyre district.
The IDF said it had undertaken “around 50 strikes in the last day” on southern Lebanon, targeting what it described as Hezbollah headquarters and buildings used for military purposes. The military also intercepted two “aerial targets” before they crossed into Israeli territory.
Despite US President Donald Trump announcing a three-week ceasefire extension on April 23, fighting has persisted in southern Lebanon throughout the truce period. Israeli forces re-entered the region in early March and continue to occupy approximately 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) of Lebanese territory, having destroyed multiple villages in the process.
Since early March, 2,586 people have been killed in Lebanon according to the Lebanese health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. The death toll includes 103 health care workers and emergency responders. On the Israeli side, 17 soldiers have been killed in Lebanon since March, along with two civilians killed by Hezbollah attacks.
Hezbollah said on Saturday that it had targeted Israeli soldiers and military vehicles in Lebanon. The Israel military confirmed one of its soldiers was killed in combat in southern Lebanon on Thursday.
The current conflict traces back to February 28, when the US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran, killing Iran’s supreme leader. In retaliation, Hezbollah launched rockets and drones into Israel on March 2, prompting Israel to bombard Lebanon with airstrikes.
The US embassy in Beirut recently suggested on X that a meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would give Lebanon “the chance to secure concrete guarantees on full sovereignty, territorial integrity, secure borders, humanitarian and reconstruction support, and the complete restoration of Lebanese state authority over every inch of its territory” — guarantees that would be “ensured by the US.” Neither leader has responded to the proposal.
The initial 10-day pause in hostilities was announced on April 16 following ambassador-level talks in Washington between Israel and Lebanon — the first high-level meetings between the two countries since 1993.
Source: BBC News, AP News, Al Jazeera