Two killed and nine others injured following renewed Israeli occupation airstrikes on southern Lebanon

Beirut, August 15 (KUNA) -- Two people were killed and nine others injured today, Saturday, following renewed Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon. The Emergency Operations Center, affiliated with the Lebanese Ministry of Health, said in a statement that the preliminary toll of the Israeli air strike on the town of Deir el-Zahrani, in the Nabatieh district, resulted in the deaths of two people and injuries to nine others, who were transported to hospitals for treatment. The center noted that the final toll of an earlier Israeli strike today on the town of Ansar, in the same district, resulted in the deaths of seven people, including three children and two women, and injuries to two others. In a related development, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam affirmed via his X social media account that “the Israeli escalation witnessed since dawn today in the city of Nabatieh and the towns of Ansar and Deir el-Zahrani and the surrounding villages, along with the accompanying heavy airstrikes, shelling, and intimidation of residents in their homes, is highly dangerous and undermines efforts to stabilize the south.” Salam stressed that the victims killed in the strike targeting Ansar “were not military infrastructure, and the children and women who were killed were not military targets.” He considered that “the responsibility for dealing with any military infrastructure, if present, on Lebanese soil lies exclusively with the Lebanese state through its army and legitimate institutions,” emphasizing that this “does not grant the Israeli occupation the right to violate Lebanese territory or endanger civilians.” It is worth noting that southern Lebanon has been experiencing continuous military and field escalation since March 2 of last year, amid escalating violations and clashes along the southern border, which have resulted in hundreds of casualties and the displacement of thousands of residents from border villages and towns, in addition to severe damage to infrastructure and property. (End) F.Z. / M.A.K.