Israeli airstrikes in a southern Lebanese town resulted in the deaths of at least 12 individuals, including two children, early Monday, as reported by Lebanon’s Health Ministry. This marked one of the deadliest days of Israeli attacks in recent weeks.
Concerns over a potential new Israeli military offensive are growing in Lebanon following days of escalating airstrikes, despite a ceasefire in June aimed at ending hostilities between the Israeli military and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
A woman related to three of the deceased stated that one strike targeted a residential building while children were preparing for school. The Israeli military claimed the strike targeted individuals observed transferring weapons in the area of Kfar Rumman town.
Reporters at the scene observed children’s schoolbooks scattered amidst the rubble of the destroyed building. Rescue teams used heavy machinery to recover bodies trapped under the debris throughout the morning.
An eight-year-old boy named Mustafa Farhat lost his mother and grandparents in the attack, according to locals. His father’s body was still being searched for while the boy received medical care at a hospital.
A relative of the boy, Mona Farhat, revealed that their home was hit in the lead-up to school hours. She questioned the motives behind the attack and expressed defiance towards leaving their land.
The Health Ministry of Lebanon confirmed that 11 people, including two children and four women, lost their lives in the residential building strike on Monday. Additionally, one medic was killed in a separate Israeli drone strike on a civilian vehicle in the town, with two other medics sustaining injuries.
The Israeli military reportedly did not issue an online evacuation warning before the strikes on the town. They emphasized that measures had been taken to minimize harm to civilians through the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance, promising to investigate reports of civilian casualties.
Israel claimed that Hezbollah had launched two explosive drones towards Israeli forces near the Ali al-Taher ridge in southeastern Lebanon. Israeli authorities asserted that they had removed Hezbollah fighters from the ridge, leading to increased strikes on neighboring towns where residents had returned post-ceasefire.
Lebanese security officials anticipated further escalations in the southern region in the upcoming weeks, as tensions continue to rise. Israeli strikes in Lebanon have claimed more than 4,300 lives since Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on Israel earlier in March, prompting a significant military response.
The ceasefire had initially reduced violence, but Israeli forces have persisted in demolishing villages in the occupied southern Lebanon security zone. Israel’s military operations have extended both within and beyond the security zone, often without prior evacuation warnings.