Seven killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon

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Seven people have been killed and three others wounded in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, according to local media reports. The Ministry of Public Health confirmed that four people were killed and three others injured in an air raid on Ramadiyeh, a town in the Tyre district. A separate strike in Kfarsir, also in the Nabatieh district, resulted in the deaths of three people, while further air raids targeted homes in Yater, Harouf, and Zebdine.

The Israeli military reported killing 40 Hezbollah fighters in 24 hours, targeting weapons depots and launch sites. The Lebanese group has not commented on the incident.

Since Israel launched its offensive on March 2, at least 1,318 people have been killed in Lebanon and 3,935 injured. In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed since the beginning of the conflict on February 28.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated that Lebanon remains committed to working towards a ceasefire. “Lebanon has become a victim of a war whose outcome and end date no one can predict,” he said in a statement. “This compels us to redouble our political and diplomatic efforts to halt the ongoing violations of our sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to condemn the blatant breaches of international law and international humanitarian law.”

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching rocket attacks targeting Israeli troops and infrastructure in northern Israel and border areas. The group stated that it fired a barrage of rockets at “infrastructure belonging to the Israeli military in the Kiryat Ata area”.

Israel’s Channel 12 broadcaster reported an attack in the Galilee region, with more than 30 rockets launched into the area over a few minutes. Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett reported from Beirut that Hezbollah and Israeli troops are engaged in fighting in southern Lebanon.

On March 16, Israel launched a ground operation in Lebanon. Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that Israel’s military will occupy a swath of southern Lebanon even after the end of the current war, establishing a “security zone”.

Source: Al Jazeera