Israeli airstrikes in a town in southern Lebanon resulted in the deaths of at least 12 individuals, including two children, early on Monday, as reported by Lebanon’s Health Ministry. This marked one of the deadliest instances of Israeli bombardment in recent weeks, raising concerns about a potential resurgence of Israeli military actions in Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement reached in June to cease hostilities between the Israeli military and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
According to a woman claiming kinship to three of the deceased, one of the strikes targeted a residential building where children were preparing for school. The Israeli military stated that the strike was aimed at individuals observed transferring weapons in the vicinity of Kfar Rumman town. At the scene, Reuters journalists witnessed children’s school materials scattered among debris from the destroyed building. Rescue teams used heavy machinery to extract bodies from beneath the rubble throughout the morning.
An eight-year-old boy named Mustafa Farhat lost his mother and grandparents in the attack, with rescue workers still searching for his father’s body while the boy received medical treatment at a hospital. Mona Farhat, a relative of the boy, mentioned that their home was hit just before school hours, expressing confusion and defiance towards the motives behind the attack.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirmed that 11 people, including two children and four women, lost their lives in the assault on the residential building, which occurred after midnight. Additionally, the Health Ministry reported that a separate Israeli drone strike on a civilian vehicle in the town led to the death of one medic and injuries to two others.
The strikes on the town occurred without prior online evacuation warnings from the Israeli military. While Israel’s military claimed to have taken precautions to minimize harm to civilians through the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance, they acknowledged the reports of civilian casualties and stated that a review of the incident was underway.
The Israeli military mentioned that Hezbollah had launched two explosive drones towards Israeli troops near the Ali al-Taher ridge, a strategic area in southeastern Lebanon suspected to house an underground military complex of Hezbollah. Israel previously declared the clearance of Hezbollah fighters from the ridge, leading to increased Israeli strikes on nearby towns where residents had returned post-ceasefire.
Lebanese security officials anticipated further escalations in the southern region in the upcoming weeks. The ongoing violence between Israel and Lebanon has claimed over 4,300 lives since the initial rocket attacks by Hezbollah on Israel in March following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Despite a decrease in violence post-ceasefire, Israeli military operations persist in southern Lebanon, with villages being demolished within the self-declared security zone and in surrounding areas without warning.