Beirut: Lebanon’s health ministry has confirmed that an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon on Saturday claimed the lives of nine people, including a woman and her two children. Five others were wounded in the attack, with two in critical condition. The airstrike took place in the Nabatieh area, roughly 12 kilometers from the Israeli border.
Israel’s military acknowledged the strike on its Telegram channel, reporting that the air force targeted a weapons storage facility belonging to Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group.
Since the conflict between Palestinian Hamas militants and Israeli forces intensified last October in Gaza, Hezbollah and Israel have engaged in near-daily cross-border fire. Just days earlier, on August 14, another Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon killed two individuals, which Lebanon’s health ministry identified as Hezbollah fighters. Israel’s military claimed responsibility for that attack, stating that its air force struck Hezbollah military sites, including locations in Blida.
The ongoing violence, now stretching into ten months, has resulted in the deaths of senior commanders and hundreds of Hezbollah fighters, while causing widespread destruction and displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border.
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This latest escalation has raised concerns of a broader regional war, with international mediators pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza to prevent further escalation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s determination to defend itself, asserting the nation’s readiness to act both defensively and offensively following the recent killings of prominent figures Shukr and Haniyeh.
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Under mounting international pressure, Israel is being urged to secure a truce to prevent further escalation, while diplomatic efforts in Lebanon continue in hopes of avoiding a wider conflict.
