Israeli strikes kill nine in Lebanon as Hezbollah fires rockets over border
Israeli air operations were carried out on Wednesday in the southern Chehour region of Lebanon, killing at least nine people. Two paramedics were among the deceased, with an ambulance being struck in a confirmed hit. The casualties also included individuals in a car just south of Beirut. Lebanese authorities reported that the strikes also damaged a military vehicle on the Nabatieh‑Kfar Tebnit road and injured other soldiers in the area.
In a retaliatory move, Hezbollah fired a number of rockets into northern Israel. The group claimed the attacks targeted an Israeli military position. The conflict escalated further when Israeli forces reported intercepting a hostile aircraft near the Manara and Kiryat Shmona areas, as well as two projectiles over Misgav Am.
These events tested the partial ceasefire brokered by the United States on Monday, which stipulated that Israel would not conduct a broad offensive on Beirut if Hezbollah would hold off on attacks. The ceasefire also required Israeli forces to refrain from targeting the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital measured as the Dahieh region. Nonetheless, Israeli commanders warned that strikes would resume in Dahieh if Hezbollah launched cross‑border attacks.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced at a Washington press briefing that a concrete action plan was needed to secure Lebanon’s security independent of Hezbollah, placing emphasis on protecting the lives of civilians and preventing further escalation. The United States has been urging Lebanese officials to come to a lasting agreement to avert a repeat of the earlier ceasefire’s failure, which had already been preceded by a failed agreement in April.
Lebanese health authorities have reported that over 3,500 people have died in the ongoing conflict, with a toll that does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. The United Nations estimates more than one million people have been displaced from Lebanese homes due to evacuation orders issued by Israeli forces. The situation remains precarious, as the region is entangled in a larger war that involves U.S., Israel and Iran.
Last week Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered intensity of Israeli strikes on Hezbollah and in part to pursue deeper incursions into Lebanon after drone and rocket attacks had impacted northern Israeli communities. Israel’s blockade also places an eighth of the country under evacuation orders; meanwhile, U.N. humanitarian agencies continue to operate under pushback in the south of Lebanon.
