Four individuals were killed in southern Lebanon on Sunday following Israeli air strikes, marking the latest escalation in a region that has been under a fragile ceasefire for months. Israel stated that the attacks were a direct response to drones launched by Hezbollah fighters against its military personnel in the south.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, two people died in the Nabatieh al-Fawqa area, while two women were killed in the nearby village of Arab Salim. The ministry reported that 20 others, including several women and three children, sustained injuries in those locations as well as in the city of Nabatieh and the town of Kfar Rumman. Officials described these casualty figures as provisional.
The Israeli military confirmed that it targeted south Lebanon after Hezbollah fighters deployed two drones toward Israeli soldiers operating within Israel’s self-declared “security zone.” No casualties among Israeli troops were reported.
Shortly before issuing its statement on the strikes, the Israeli military released its first evacuation warning in Lebanon in several weeks. Residents near a building identified as a Hezbollah facility in Arab Salim were urged to leave their homes. However, no warnings were issued for other areas that were subsequently struck.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that after the initial warning for one building, warplanes struck a different house in Arab Salim, destroying it and killing the two women. The agency added that the Israeli military later attacked the home that had been specified in the evacuation notice.
The NNA also reported that a strike in Nabatieh al-Fawqa damaged part of the Ghandour hospital, which had reportedly been out of service for years. A heavy air strike on Nabatieh city hit a historical building and damaged offices belonging to state finance and agriculture authorities, with nearby shops and cafes also suffering damage.
Lebanon was drawn into the broader Middle East conflict in March after Hezbollah attacked Israel in retaliation for the US-Israeli war against Iran, Hezbollah’s ally. Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion. Lebanon states that these operations have resulted in more than 4,300 deaths and displaced over a million people. Israeli troops continue to operate inside a security zone extending approximately 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory, an area whose boundaries were expanded in June.
Violence had decreased since a US-Iran memorandum of understanding regarding the wider conflict was reached in June, followed by a framework agreement signed by Israel and Lebanon later that month. However, Lebanon continues to report Israeli strikes, artillery shelling, and the demolition of civilian structures in southern villages.
On Friday, Israeli strikes in the south and east killed four people, including an 18-year-old woman, in an incident Israel said was in response to another drone launch. Earlier in the week, Israel announced it had taken operational control of the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge near Nabatieh, a claim Hezbollah has neither confirmed nor denied.
Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross facilitated the transfer of five detainees from Israel to Lebanon earlier this week. Direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon have resumed, with further talks expected this month, though no date has been set.
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