Israeli airstrikes kill 11 in southern Lebanon, deadliest day since June ceasefire

Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon

Israeli airstrikes on Saturday, August 15, killed at least 11 people in southern Lebanon, the deadliest single-day toll since the June 20 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon's Health Ministry reported seven people killed in the village of Ansar, including three children and two women, and four more killed in Deir al-Zahraní. Nineteen people were injured across the two strikes. The toll rose through the day: initial reports from the National News Agency put the figure at nine dead before the ministry updated it to eleven.

The Israeli military said the strikes targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in a security zone in southern Lebanon, in retaliation for a Hezbollah action against Israeli troops that seriously wounded three soldiers. Israel said it struck a headquarters of the elite Radwan Force in Ansar, killing Ali Samir al-Haj Hassan, a battalion commander in the unit. The military later acknowledged that family members of the commander were among the dead, saying civilians were not the target and accusing Hezbollah of placing the family inside a facility used for military purposes. Israel also said it struck positions near the Ali al-Taher ridge, which it considers a strategic point where the organisation maintains underground installations.

Lebanese officials condemn the attacks

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun said an entire family was killed in Ansar and condemned "the Israeli attack and the repeated violations of the framework agreement and of international law protecting civilians." He described the strikes as sending a "clear message" about the future of the negotiating process, ahead of a new round of talks scheduled in Rome in September.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam rejected Israel's justification, saying those killed in their homes were not "military infrastructure" and denouncing the deaths of civilians as an escalation.

Doron Spielman, spokesman for the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the Israeli government believes the strikes should serve as a catalyst for more serious negotiations rather than lead to their abandonment.

Hezbollah threatens retaliation

Hezbollah issued a statement threatening "appropriate retaliation" and called on Beirut to halt the "humiliating" negotiations it has been conducting with Israel since April.

The Israeli enemy must understand that its attacks and attempts to impose a fait accompli cannot continue and will receive the appropriate response in the name of defending Lebanon.

The Iran-backed organisation had already rejected the terms of the US-mediated June framework, which provides for Israeli troops to remain in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed and the Lebanese army takes control. Hezbollah's leader, in a speech on Friday, called the agreement "an Israeli order written with Israeli ink" on which Lebanese authorities had signed.

Diplomatic and military context

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said during a visit to southern Lebanon on Thursday that Israel would not withdraw from areas it controls until Hezbollah is disarmed. A State Department official said a permanent Israeli military presence in the area is not consistent with the commitments included in the agreement with the Lebanese government. At least 4,300 people have been killed in Lebanon since the new round of hostilities began on March 2.