Israeli airstrike on Ansar village in southern Lebanon kills seven, deadliest since June ceasefire

Strike on Ansar village

An Israeli airstrike hit a house on the outskirts of the village of Ansar in the Nabatieh district early on Saturday, killing seven people and destroying the building, according to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA). The agency reported three people wounded, though Le Monde, citing the same source, gave a figure of seven wounded. Emergency teams from the Islamic Message Scout Association, the Islamic Health Authority and Lebanon's Civil Defence were working to remove rubble and transfer the dead and wounded to hospitals in Nabatieh. Paramedics were still searching through the rubble, NNA reported.

The death toll makes the strike the deadliest reported Israeli attack in Lebanon since agreements reached in June led to a significant reduction in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. A framework agreement announced on June 26 laid out a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon in exchange for the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.

Multiple strikes across the south

NNA said Israel escalated its attacks on the south early on Saturday, with a series of airstrikes on the Ali al-Taher ridge near Nabatieh al-Fawqa, a strategic hill overlooking the Nabatieh area. Two other strikes hit areas near the teachers' training centre and the Husseini club in Nabatieh al-Fawqa. The valley between Ansar and Zarariyeh was also struck, which NNA described as the first strike to reach this far into southern Lebanon since the ceasefire two months ago.

Closer to the border, Israeli forces destroyed several homes in Bint Jbeil and opened heavy machinegun fire towards houses along the Kounine-Saf al-Hawa road, according to NNA. An Israeli air attack also hit the al-Mashaa neighbourhood in al-Mansouri shortly before midnight.

Background of the conflict

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in March with rocket fire at Israel in support of its backer Iran, after an American-Israeli offensive was launched against Iran in February. Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and a ground invasion that Lebanese authorities say have killed more than 4,300 people.

Violence has significantly decreased since the signing of a US-Iran memorandum of understanding in June on the broader Middle East war, and a subsequent US-sponsored framework deal between Lebanon and Israel agreed later that month. The framework calls for Hezbollah's disarmament, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces and the deployment of the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon, starting in pilot zones. Lebanon still reports intermittent Israeli strikes occasionally causing casualties and the broad demolitions of civilian buildings in southern villages and towns.

Hezbollah leader's criticism

On Friday, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem criticised the Lebanese authorities over the implementation of the framework, accusing them of pressuring the army while Israeli attacks continued.

How can you accept this ongoing humiliation of the Lebanese army, exposing it to bombardment and Israeli pressures, instead of acting as its protectors?

Human Rights Watch appeal

This week, Human Rights Watch urged the United Nations to keep an international force in Lebanon after its peacekeepers' mandate ends this year, saying that the peacekeepers are a crucial deterrent against attacks on civilians and human rights abuses.