Israeli strikes on south Lebanon killed nine people, including three children, on Saturday, marking the deadliest raids since deals in June eased hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israel said it targeted the Iran-backed group in retaliation for an attack on its soldiers. Lebanon's prime minister said the dead were not military targets.
How many people died in the Israeli strikes on Lebanon?
Nine people were killed and 11 others wounded in two Israeli strikes on south Lebanon on Saturday. Lebanon's health ministry said seven people, including three children and two women, died in a strike on the village of Ansar, while two more were killed and nine wounded in Deir Zahrani. The toll in Deir Zahrani was described as provisional.
Why did Israel strike south Lebanon?
Israel's military said it struck "Hezbollah terror infrastructure" in the areas of Nabatieh and Ansar in response to an action by Hezbollah against Israeli soldiers in the Ali al-Taher Ridge area. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said Israeli warplanes struck a home on the outskirts of Ansar and carried out a series of airstrikes targeting the ridge, a strategic hill overlooking Nabatieh. It later reported a separate strike on the southern town of Deir Zahrani.
An AFP correspondent in Ansar saw a destroyed building as rescuers worked to remove human remains from the rubble, alongside a swimming pool clouded with dust and debris. Abbas Khalil, 60, said he was performing his early morning Islamic prayers when the strike hit. "We were shocked. There's no justification for this," he told AFP.
What did Lebanon's prime minister say about the strikes?
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the seven people killed in the strike on Ansar were not military infrastructure, and that the women and children who died were not military targets. "Israel must halt this escalation," he said, calling it "extremely dangerous" and warning that it undermines efforts to stabilize the south.
Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in March with rocket fire on Israel in support of its backer, Iran. Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and a ground invasion that Lebanese authorities say have killed more than 4,300 people. Violence has significantly decreased since a US-Iran memorandum of understanding in June and a US-sponsored framework deal between Lebanon and Israel later that month, though Lebanon continues to report intermittent Israeli strikes and demolitions in southern villages.
In Ansar, building owner Mohammed Saab told AFP he waited every year to rent out his swimming pool over the summer. "What do I have here for this to happen?" he said. The NNA said the valley between Ansar and Zarariyeh was also struck, the first attack at this geographical depth since the ceasefire two months ago.
What comes next for Israel-Lebanon negotiations?
Ansar lies around 20 kilometers from the Israeli border, beyond a so-called "yellow line" declared by the Israeli army that runs along the frontier where its troops operate. The Israel-Lebanon framework deal includes Hezbollah's disarmament, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon, and deployment of the Lebanese army starting in "pilot zones."
On Friday, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem accused Lebanese authorities of subjecting the country's armed forces to undue pressure in implementing the deal. Israel and Lebanon are set to hold an eighth round of US-sponsored negotiations in Rome early next month. Earlier this week, Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz visited southern Lebanon, vowing to keep troops in a "security zone" and saying the military was destroying underground infrastructure and homes in the area. A US State Department official told AFP that a permanent military presence in south Lebanon is not consistent with the framework's commitments.
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