Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon kill four, injure 20

Israeli forces initiated airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Sunday, in retaliation for Hezbollah allegedly sending two drones towards their troops. The Israeli military claims these strikes took place within the area Israel calls the security zone. Lieutenant Colonel Ella Wawia, speaking via X platform, disclosed that the Chief of Staff's surprise drill Dawn Rising 2.0 had been activated overnight to assess readiness and response capabilities of the General Staff, main headquarters, alert systems, and multi-front incident response.

She affirmed that the airstrikes were conducted in response to a reported attack by Hezbollah against Israeli forces operating in the Ali Taher Heights area, during which two drones were launched. Notably, there were no casualties among Israeli troops during these operations. In contrast, Lebanon's Ministry of Health Emergency Operations Center reported a preliminary death toll of four and 20 wounded in the Israeli strikes.

The Lebanese National News Agency stated that the airstrikes primarily targeted the Nabatieh area in southern Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of two women in the town of Arabsalim and damage to homes in Nabatieh, Nabatieh Al-Fawqa, and Arabsalim. Additionally, one of the strikes damaged part of Ghandour Hospital in Nabatieh, a facility that has been non-operational for years, leading to injuries.

The agency also reported that Israeli aircraft conducted further strikes near Dabsha Hill, close to Nabatieh Al-Fawqa, while artillery intermittently targeted Doha Kfar Roummane and the Dabsha Hill region.