11 killed, including children, in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon
Beirut – Agencies: Eleven people, including three children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon yesterday, according to official sources, marking the highest daily toll since the signing of the Framework Agreement between Lebanon and Israel in late June last year. Israel stated that the airstrikes were in response to a Hezbollah operation, while Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the attacks, describing them as a “clear message” to the negotiation process and US efforts aimed at implementing the Framework Agreement between the two countries.
The state-run National News Agency reported that Israel “escalated its attacks” in southern Lebanon early yesterday, noting that an airstrike on a house in the outskirts of Ansar town killed seven people, while other strikes targeted the strategic Ali al-Tahir hill. The Health Ministry later announced that among the seven dead in Ansar were three children and two women, and reported two more deaths and nine others injured in an airstrike on Deir al-Zahrani town, in an initial tally.
This is the highest number of casualties in Israeli airstrikes in a single day since the signing of the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran in June, followed by the Framework Agreement between Lebanon and Israel on the 26th of the same month, which had led to a significant decline in the pace of violence.
The Israeli military said yesterday that it “attacked Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in the Nabatieh and Ansar areas,” clarifying that the strikes came “following activities carried out by the Hezbollah terrorist organization against our forces in the Ali al-Tahir heights area” overlooking Nabatieh.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated that “the seven martyrs in the Israeli airstrike on Ansar town are not ‘military infrastructure,’ and the women and children who were killed are not military targets.” He added that “Israel must stop this escalation,” describing it as “extremely dangerous and undermining efforts to stabilize the south.”
For his part, Aoun condemned “continuous Israeli aggression” against the south and “its repeated violations of the Framework Agreement and international laws protecting civilians,” after they led to the “martyrdom of an entire family from Ansar town,” according to a presidential statement.
Ansar is located about 20 kilometers from the border with Israel, outside what is known as the “Yellow Line,” which extends approximately 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory and is occupied by Israeli forces. The National News Agency reported on Saturday that the “valley between Ansar and Al-Zarariyya towns” was hit by an airstrike, the first to exceed this geographical depth since the ceasefire two months ago.
