Israeli strikes kill at least 9 in southern Lebanon, deadliest since June ceasefire

The strikes

Israeli warplanes carried out a dawn airstrike on a house on the outskirts of the village of Ansar, near Nabatieh, killing 7 people including 3 children and 2 women, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Two others were wounded. Hours later, a second strike hit the village of Deir al-Zahrani, about 20 kilometers away, killing at least 2 people and wounding 9 more, with the ministry noting that toll remained provisional. Paramedics continued searching through rubble at the Ansar site, where an AFP journalist saw a completely destroyed building, a damaged swimming pool, and wrecked cars.

The building's owner, Mohamed Saab, told AFP it was a small tourist hotel.

It's a small tourist hotel. I wait all year for the three summer months. What did I do to deserve this?

Israeli and Lebanese responses

The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in the Nabatiyeh and Ansar regions in response to Hezbollah activity near the Ali al-Taher ridge, a strategic hilltop about 6 miles from the Israeli border that overlooks much of the Nabatiyeh area. The National News Agency also reported strikes in the valley between Ansar and Zarariyeh, calling it the first strike at such depth into Lebanese territory since the ceasefire two months ago. Airstrikes and artillery fire also hit the Ali al-Taher ridge area.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the strikes and rejected Israel's characterization of the targets.

The seven martyrs in the Israeli strike on Ansar town were not 'military infrastructure,' and the children and women killed were not military targets.

Salam called the escalation "extremely dangerous" and said it undermined efforts to establish stability in southern Lebanon. President Joseph Aoun said the attacks represented a "clear message" to the negotiation process ahead of the next round of US-sponsored talks expected in Rome early next month.

Ceasefire under strain

The strikes are the deadliest since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect on June 20, followed by a framework agreement announced on June 26. Under the agreement, Israel is expected to gradually withdraw from territory it occupies in southern Lebanon, and the Lebanese Armed Forces would deploy in those areas and facilitate the return of displaced residents. The framework has been criticized in Lebanon for not setting a timetable for Israeli withdrawal and for linking the process to the disarmament of Hezbollah, which the state has long struggled to accomplish.

Hezbollah was not a party to the US-brokered negotiations and has rejected the terms. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said in a speech on Friday:

The framework agreement is an Israeli order written in Israeli ink that the Lebanese authorities have signed onto.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said during a visit to south Lebanon on Thursday that Israel would not withdraw from the regions it controls until Hezbollah is disarmed. A US State Department official said a permanent Israeli military presence in the area was not consistent with commitments set out in the deal with Lebanon's government.

The latest round of hostilities began after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on February 28, following the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran. Israel then invaded southern Lebanon and carried out airstrikes. At least 4,300 people have been killed in Lebanon since March 2.