Three Israeli drone strikes on vehicles just south of Beirut killed four people on Saturday, while a wider series of airstrikes across southern Lebanon killed at least 13, Lebanese state media and the Health Ministry said.
The attacks marked a sharp escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, despite a ceasefire that took effect on April 17. Both sides have continued near-daily exchanges since the truce began, with Israel saying it is targeting Hezbollah military infrastructure and Hezbollah saying it is responding to continued Israeli strikes.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said two of the drone strikes hit vehicles on the highway linking Beirut to the southern port city of Sidon, wounding several people. A third strike targeted a road leading to the Chouf region and killed three people, according to the report. The locations are significant because they lie outside Hezbollah’s most traditional strongholds in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said an Israeli airstrike on the southern village of Saksakiyeh killed at least seven people, including a child, and wounded 15 others. The ministry described the figure as an initial toll.
State media and health officials also reported additional deaths in southern Lebanon, including a man and his 12-year-old daughter. The strikes came days after Israel carried out an air raid on Beirut’s southern suburbs, saying it had killed a senior Hezbollah military official. That attack was the first near the Lebanese capital since the ceasefire was reached.
Hezbollah has continued to launch drones and rockets toward Israeli forces. Israeli officials said several explosive drones entered Israeli territory in recent days, wounding soldiers, while Hezbollah said it had struck Israeli military positions in response to Israeli attacks.
The ceasefire was intended to reduce hostilities after weeks of intense fighting, but the latest strikes have raised fresh doubts about its durability. With civilian casualties mounting and both sides accusing each other of violations, the truce appears increasingly fragile.
