Lebanon says Israel conducts wave of deadly strikes

Israel conducted a wave of airstrikes in south Lebanon killing 12 people including women and children, the Lebanese health ministry said on Monday, in an intensification of violence after a weeks-long lull.

How many people have died in the latest Israeli strikes on Lebanon?

Twelve people were killed on Monday in strikes on the town of Kfar Rumman, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

One strike hit a residential building, killing 11 people including two children and four women, while a separate attack in the same town killed a young rescuer. The deaths follow a rise in Israeli strikes in the Nabatieh area over recent days.

Why is Israel continuing to strike Hezbollah in Lebanon?

Israel's military vowed to continue targeting Hezbollah, accusing the Iran-backed militants of repeated violations of a ceasefire in place since June. Hezbollah has not commented on the threat, or on the escalation in strikes seen in recent days. Israel hit swathes of south Lebanon, long a Hezbollah stronghold, hard during the wider Middle East war that erupted with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, and its forces continue to occupy what it calls a "security zone."

Israel has been intensifying strikes in the southern Nabatieh area after saying on Thursday that it had seized the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge from Hezbollah, a claim the group has not commented on. The Israeli military said in a statement that it had struck Hezbollah "infrastructure sites" across southern Lebanon after the launch of two explosive drones towards its troops, as well as "several terrorists" it said were transferring weapons. The army said it "will continue to operate to remove threats while remaining committed to the ceasefire agreement."

On Monday, Israel's foreign ministry accused Hezbollah of "repeated drone attacks" and "attempting to rebuild its military capabilities in southern Lebanon," saying the group had violated the ceasefire agreement that includes its disarmament.

What happened in the Kfar Rumman strike?

Fighting in Lebanon, which erupted in March after Hezbollah targeted Israel in support of Iran, had decreased since a June memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran and an Israel-Lebanon framework agreement later that month. The rescuer killed in Kfar Rumman was just 18 years old, according to his civil defense organization, which is affiliated with the Amal movement, a political ally of Hezbollah.

An AFP photographer saw that the building hit in Kfar Rumman had been destroyed, with school books and remnants of furniture strewn across the rubble. Rescue teams were searching the debris on Monday morning for other victims. Villagers had returned home following the June truce after being displaced by the war.

"Since we returned here, we've lived in fear," Fouad Chakaron told AFP, insisting the targeted building was inhabited by "peaceful people with no connection to anyone." Neighbours fled after the strike, which also damaged nearby buildings, AFP's photographer said. The National News Agency later reported additional strikes on the Nabatieh area, and controlled detonations of unexploded munitions in at least two parts of the south.

Did Israel warn residents before the strikes?

Israel issued no warning to Kfar Rumman before the strikes but released an evacuation order ahead of a separate attack in nearby Deir Zahrani. The Israeli military said in an Arabic-language message that it was targeting a "Hezbollah terrorist facility," warning that those who remained in the area were at risk.

"They called me at 2am and told me to get out of the house because it is being targeted," resident Abbas Toufeili told AFP, referring to the Israeli army. "I said that's impossible, why is my house being targeted? There's nothing in it. I couldn't believe it." He said he took his wife, children and elderly mother outside in their pyjamas and they stood on the street watching their house be destroyed.

How many people has Israel killed in Lebanon since March?

On Sunday, Israeli strikes killed seven people. Attacks on Friday killed four. The Israeli army has said it is responding to Hezbollah's launch of two drones towards its soldiers inside Lebanon, but did not specify whether any of its troops were wounded. Hezbollah has not claimed any attack since June 20.

Israeli airstrikes and a ground invasion of Lebanon have killed more than 4,300 people since March, Beirut says. Israeli forces are operating inside a self-declared "security zone" around 10 kilometers deep inside Lebanon along the border. On Sunday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged Washington and the international community to help stop Israeli attacks.