Israeli Strikes Kill Nineteen Amid Lebanon Border Clashes

Beirut: (Web Desk) – Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon killed at least 19 people on Tuesday, according to the Lebanese health ministry, as clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters continued despite an existing ceasefire agreement.

The ministry said one of the deadliest strikes targeted Deir Qanun al-Nahr in the Tyre district, where 10 people, including three children and three women, were killed. Three others were injured in the attack, which officials described as a “massacre.” Additional Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon reportedly killed nine more people and wounded 29 others, including women and a child.

Lebanese media outlets and AFP photographers reported multiple air raids across the Tyre district and Nabatieh province. In Maashuq, a strike caused the upper floors of a residential building to collapse, damaging nearby homes and vehicles. Another attack in Nabatieh’s Saray neighborhood destroyed a large section of the historic area containing shops, homes, and a mosque.

The Israeli military had earlier issued evacuation warnings for 12 towns in Lebanon, mostly in the south and one in the Bekaa region. However, Deir Qanun al-Nahr, where the deadliest strike occurred, was not among the warned areas.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army said it intercepted a drone launched from Lebanon. Hezbollah later announced that its fighters were engaged in ongoing clashes with Israeli troops near the town square of Haddatha and claimed responsibility for destroying an Israeli tank. The group also stated it targeted Iron Dome defense systems and Israeli military positions near the northern border.

Lebanon’s civil defense agency reported losing contact with seven civilians after an Israeli incursion into Rashaya al-Fukhar. Four were later released, while three remain in Israeli custody.

The latest escalation comes after Hezbollah entered the regional conflict on March 2 by launching rockets toward Israel in support of Iran. Despite a ceasefire announced on April 17, Israeli strikes and evacuation orders have continued across southern Lebanon, with authorities saying the operations are aimed at Hezbollah positions.

According to Lebanese officials, more than 3,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the conflict began. The Israeli military also confirmed on Tuesday that a deputy company commander from the reservist 551st Brigade was killed in combat in southern Lebanon, raising the number of Israeli soldiers killed in the conflict to 21.