Israeli Strikes Kill 11 in Southern Lebanon as Tensions With Hezbollah Escalate

Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed 11 people, including three children, on Saturday, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. The attacks were the deadliest since agreements in June helped reduce fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Lebanese officials condemned the strikes, while Israel said its forces were responding to a Hezbollah attack that wounded three Israeli soldiers. Israel also said one strike targeted Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan, a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, whom it described as a lawful target.

Seven people, including three children and two women, were killed in an attack on a home in Ansar. Four others were killed and 17 wounded in a separate strike on Deir Zahrani, according to Lebanese authorities.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the killing of civilians and called for an end to the dangerous escalation. Hezbollah said the attacks would receive an appropriate response and urged Lebanon to abandon direct negotiations with Israel.

The strikes come as Israel and Lebanon prepare for another round of US-sponsored negotiations in Rome. A framework agreement reached in June calls for Hezbollah’s disarmament, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army.

Israel says it remains committed to the framework, but Hezbollah has rejected the deal. Washington has also warned that a permanent Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon would conflict with the agreement.