An Israeli airstrike on a home in southern Lebanon killed seven people and wounded three others early Saturday, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA), marking the deadliest reported incident since agreements reached in June brought a significant reduction in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
The NNA reported that Israeli warplanes struck a house on the outskirts of the southern village of Ansar, killing seven people and injuring three others. The strike reportedly destroyed the building, while rescue teams worked to clear the rubble and transport casualties to nearby hospitals.
The escalation comes despite a sharp decline in hostilities following a US-Iran memorandum of understanding in June and a separate US-backed framework agreement reached later that month between Lebanon and Israel.
However, Lebanese authorities continue to report intermittent Israeli strikes in the south, some of which have caused casualties, as well as widespread demolitions of civilian structures in villages and towns near the border.
According to the NNA, Israeli aircraft also carried out a strike in the valley between Ansar and Zarariyeh, describing it as the first attack at such a depth since the ceasefire two months ago.
The agency further reported a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting the Ali al-Taher ridge, a strategic elevation overlooking the Nabatieh area, along with Israeli shelling in the vicinity. Israeli forces also reportedly detonated homes in the border town of Bint Jbeil.
The latest violence comes amid efforts to implement the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement, which calls for Hezbollah’s disarmament, a gradual Israeli military withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army in designated pilot zones.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Friday accused Lebanese authorities of placing excessive pressure on the country’s armed forces as they seek to implement the agreement.
“How can you accept this ongoing humiliation of the Lebanese army, exposing it to bombardment and Israeli pressures, instead of acting as its protectors?” Qassem said.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch this week called on the United Nations to maintain an international peacekeeping presence in Lebanon after the current mandate expires later this year, describing the force as an important deterrent against attacks on civilians and human rights violations.
