ALBAWABA - According to Lebanese officials, a series of Israeli airstrikes on several sites in southern and eastern Lebanon have killed six persons and wounded at least thirty-one others. Since the truce deal in November 2024, the strikes represent the most substantial escalation.
The Ministry of Health in Lebanon announced that an attack on the town of Touline killed five persons, including a toddler, and wounded eleven others. An Israeli drone attacked a garage in the Hay al-Raml neighborhood of Tyre, resulting in one fatality and seven injuries.
Six more people were injured in the cities of Housh al-Sayyed and Sareen by further airstrikes in the eastern part of Baalbek-Hermel. Additionally, the Israeli forces attacked other locations in southern Lebanon, including Iqlim al-Tuffah, Wadi al-Zahrani, and Qusayr, as well as the outskirts of Nabi Sheet.
According to the Israeli army, these actions were a reaction to rockets that had previously been launched from Lebanese territory. Three missiles headed toward northern Israel's Metula were intercepted, military sources said. Later, Israel acknowledged that it had retaliated by targeting more than 50 Hezbollah-related websites.
Hezbollah denied participation in the missile assaults despite the intensification. The military was directed to step up operations by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who also warned the government of Lebanon that it will be held fully accountable for any action coming from its territory.
Lebanese leaders, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun, denounced the attacks and cautioned against attempts to entice Lebanon into another war.
With no imminent plans to leave, Israel still holds five key hilltop positions inside Lebanon along the Blue Line. There are concerns that a wider war may break out along the border as a result of the recent uptick in violence.
