Israeli air strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon have killed at least six people and wounded three others, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported, in violation of the ceasefire brokered by the United States last month.
At least four people were killed and three wounded in an Israeli air strike on the town of Zellaya in eastern Lebanon, NNA reported on Wednesday. Ali Qassem Ahmad, head of Zellaya’s municipal council, and three family members were killed in the attack on their home in the western Bekaa town.
Israel also launched an attack on southern Lebanon using fighter jets and drones, while the village of Mayfadoun was shelled with artillery, resulting in two deaths, according to NNA. The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah said it had engaged Israeli forces, claiming responsibility for an attack targeting a gathering of Israeli soldiers.
Reporting from Beirut, Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands said Israeli air strikes hit parts of the Tyre district, while Hezbollah responded to Israeli attacks in several areas of southern Lebanon.
Israel later issued forced displacement orders for 12 villages in southern Lebanon, warning residents to remain at least one kilometer from their homes. Most of the affected villages were north of the Litani River — an area not currently under Israeli military occupation. Israel claimed it was responding to a violation of the ceasefire by Hezbollah but provided no credible evidence.
The Israeli military has continued to expand its operations in southern Lebanon, with the latest forced displacement order including western parts of the Bekaa Valley for the first time since the truce came into effect on April 17.
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah resumed on March 2 after the Iran-backed group fired rockets at its southern neighbor, following the US and Israel’s launch of a war against Iran. Since then, Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed about 2,700 people and displaced more than 1.2 million. Israeli forces have destroyed entire villages in southern Lebanon, prompting comparisons with the devastation caused by Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza.
Source: www.aljazeera.com