Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that Israel’s air force conducted two airstrikes early Monday on a southern Lebanese village, resulting in at least nine fatalities and injuries to others, including women and children.
The strikes occurred during a renewed escalation between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah, despite a truce established over two months prior. These attacks followed days after Israel's military claimed operational control of Ali Taher hill, which overlooks several villages and major roads leading to Nabatiyeh city.
The Health Ministry stated that one strike impacted a building, killing eight individuals, including two women and one child. It further reported that 11 people were wounded in this incident, comprising four children and two women.
A separate strike on a vehicle within the village killed a paramedic affiliated with the Lebanese Islamic Risala Scout Association and injured two others.
Fouad Chakaron, a resident of Kfar Rumman, stated while standing near the damaged structure, "We have been living in constant anxiety amid shelling on the outskirts. Now they struck the heart of the town."
Another resident, Saleh Medlej, indicated the destroyed building was home to families with children. He asked, referencing the residence, "Are there missiles here?" Medlej vowed to remain in his hometown despite the ongoing airstrikes and shelling.
Earlier Monday, Israel's military issued an evacuation warning for a home in Deir al-Zahrani village, followed shortly by a strike on a building; casualty figures were not provided for that incident.
On Sunday, Israeli strikes resulted in at least seven deaths in southern Lebanon and destroyed an unoccupied hospital.
A truce brokered by the U.S. between Israel and Hezbollah has been repeatedly breached through Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and drone attacks by Hezbollah against Israeli forces.
In June, Lebanon and Israel signed a U.S.-mediated framework deal intended for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah disarming; however, implementation progress has been minimal.
Hezbollah is not a signatory to the Lebanon-Israel talks and has maintained that it will not surrender its weaponry in any area north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon. Conversely, Israeli officials have stated they will not withdraw unless Hezbollah is disarmed nationwide.
_ Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue contributed to this report from Beirut.