Daijiworld Media Network – Beirut
Beirut, May 20: At least 19 people, including women and children, were killed in fresh Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, as tensions continue despite an extended ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah.
Officials said 10 people were killed in a single strike targeting a house in the town of Deir Qanoun. The victims included three children and three women, while three others, including a young girl, sustained injuries.
The health ministry further stated that another nine people lost their lives and 29 others were injured in separate Israeli strikes across the Nabatieh and Tyre districts.
The latest escalation comes less than a week after the United States announced that Lebanon and Israel had agreed to extend the ceasefire by 45 days, with fresh talks expected to resume in early June.
Lebanon was drawn into the conflict on March 2 after the Iran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel following US-Israeli strikes that reportedly killed Iran’s supreme leader.
Despite the ceasefire extension, cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah have continued, particularly in southern Lebanon. Israel has maintained that its operations are aimed at Hezbollah targets, though civilian casualties have repeatedly been reported.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah claimed its fighters clashed with Israeli troops near Haddatha in southern Lebanon and alleged that an Israeli tank was destroyed during the confrontation. The group also claimed responsibility for attacks on Israeli forces and Iron Dome defence systems near the northern Israeli border.
The Israeli military earlier confirmed that one of its soldiers was killed in an attack carried out by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, the death toll from Israeli strikes since the conflict escalated in March has crossed 3,000.
Israeli ground forces continue to maintain positions in a strip of territory extending around 10 kilometres from the Lebanese border, seized during the ongoing conflict.