Israeli airstrikes have killed at least nine people in southern Lebanon, including three children, in some of the deadliest attacks since a fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah took effect in June.
The strikes hit the villages of Ansar and Deir al-Zahrani, in Lebanon’s Nabatieh region. In Ansar, an airstrike destroyed a home and killed seven people, including three children, while two others were killed in Deir al-Zahrani.
Rescue teams searched through the rubble as emergency workers recovered victims and treated the wounded.
Israel's military said it targeted what it described as Hezbollah infrastructure, saying the strikes were carried out in response to an action by Hezbollah against Israeli soldiers.
Lebanese officials strongly condemned the attacks. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the civilians killed in Ansar were not military targets and called on Israel to halt what he described as a dangerous escalation.
The strikes come despite ongoing efforts to stabilize southern Lebanon and a framework agreement calling for Israeli withdrawal and Hezbollah disarmament.
With U.S.-sponsored negotiations expected to continue, the latest violence has raised fresh fears that the fragile calm along the Lebanon-Israel border could once again collapse.
