Israeli Strikes Kill Seven in Southern Lebanon, Escalating Tensions After Ceasefire
Escalation of Violence and Impact on Civilians in Southern Lebanon
Details of the Recent Strikes
Sept 6 (Reuters) - Israeli strikes killed seven people, including two women, in southern Lebanon on Sunday, the Lebanese health ministry said, as Israel retaliated for what it said were Hezbollah drone attacks within areas occupied by its troops.
Despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Hezbollah agreed in June, the Israeli military is operating in what it has declared a security zone in southern Lebanon.
Casualties and Locations
Lebanon's health ministry said that two men were killed in a town on the edge of the zone occupied by Israeli troops, while the two women were killed in Arab Salim, which sits well north of the occupied area.
The ministry later said a separate Israeli drone strike on Nabatieh al-Tahta in southern Lebanon had killed three people on Sunday.
Evacuation Warnings and Civilian Harm
The Israeli military had issued an online evacuation warning at 6 a.m. local (0300 GMT) for areas near a building in Arab Salim that it said it would strike because it was being used by Hezbollah. Two girls were among six others injured in that strike.
Reactions from Lebanese Officials and International Community
Statements from Lebanese President
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's office called Sunday's strikes, which it said destroyed a hospital and damaged a finance ministry building, "a dangerous escalation" that targeted "purely civilian administrations and health centres".
"President Aoun held the Israeli side fully responsible for this ongoing escalation, calling on the United States and the international community to take immediate action to stop these violations and hold the perpetrators accountable," it said.
Israeli Military's Justification
The Israeli military said its targets included what it described as Hezbollah weapons storage facilities and a command centre inside a building previously used as a hospital. It also said it used precision munitions and aerial surveillance to mitigate civilian harm.
History of Ceasefire Violations and Previous Strikes
Evacuation Orders Since Ceasefire
Sunday's evacuation warning was only the second issued since the June ceasefire announcement.
The first online evacuation order came on August 5 for residents of Mansouri, near Tyre, though Israel had already dropped leaflets on the village just a week into the ceasefire, telling residents to leave ahead of strikes.
Recent Casualties and Hezbollah's Response
Four people were killed and 23 injured across southern Lebanon on Friday, the health ministry said on Saturday, in Israeli strikes launched without evacuation warnings. The Israeli military said those strikes hit Hezbollah weapons storage facilities.
Hezbollah said on Saturday that Israel's continued escalation aimed to pressure the Lebanese government, which has been engaged in direct talks with Israel under U.S. auspices — negotiations that the Iran-backed group has rejected.
Overall Death Toll Since March
More than 4,300 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since March 2, when Hezbollah fired at Israel in support of Iran.
Reporting and Editorial Credits
(Reporting by Ahmed Tolba in Cairo; Writing by Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Maya Gebeily, Joe Bavier and Ros Russell)