11 killed in Israeli strikes on Southern Lebanon

Eleven individuals lost their lives in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon, according to authorities. This marked one of the deadliest days of attacks since a ceasefire agreement was announced in June. Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam expressed outrage, stating that the seven civilians killed in a strike on a house outside Ansar were not military targets.

"Israel must halt this escalation," he declared, emphasizing that the security and life of their people are not subjects of negotiation. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed the trigger for their strike was an earlier action against its soldiers, which they described as "Hezbollah terror infrastructure". The strikes occurred early Saturday morning (01:30 GMT), targeting a location where displaced families resided.

Footage on social media showed significant smoke in the village, accompanied by ringing sirens. The IDF also reported striking around the Ali al-Taher Ridge, a strategic high ground with crucial positions from past battles. Near the border, Bint Jbeil experienced the destruction of several homes, while Israeli forces reportedly opened heavy machine gun fire.

Lebanon was involved in the conflict between Israel, the US, and Iran since 2 March, when Hezbollah retaliated against Israel for a strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader. Israel has maintained a military presence in roughly 5% of Lebanese territory since then. The June ceasefire framework aimed for Hezbollah to disarm, Israeli forces to withdraw gradually from southern Lebanon, and the Lebanese army to deploy across the area.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun strongly condemned the Israeli strikes, deeming them a violation of the framework and a message to US-led negotiations. Hezbollah, however, was not part of the agreement and rejected direct negotiations. The IDF stated they would continue removing threats to Israeli citizens and soldiers in the security zone.