Beirut: At least 14 people were killed, including three Lebanese soldiers, in Israeli airstrikes Tuesday targeting areas in southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs.
According to Anadolu Agency, an Israeli airstrike targeted the town of Ghazieh in Sidon district, killing three people and injuring five others, as reported by the Lebanese Health Ministry. In Nabatieh district, an Israeli airstrike targeted a residential complex in the town of Harouf, resulting in three more fatalities, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.
The agency further detailed that an Israeli drone strike on a car between the towns of Aba and Jebchit in Nabatieh district led to one death and another injury. Additionally, an Israeli drone targeted a motorcycle at the eastern entrance of the town of Doueir, injuring one individual.
Another drone strike at the Al-Wadi junction in the town of Deir al-Zahrani injured one person, as per the agency's report. In Tyre district, a car in the town of Al-Sultaniyyah was targeted by an Israeli airstrike, resulting in one fatality. Moreover, an airstrike on the town of Al-Jmeijmeh claimed two more lives.
The Lebanese Health Ministry also announced that an Israeli airstrike on the road to Beirut International Airport killed one person and injured nine others. The Lebanese army command issued a statement condemning the Israeli strikes that targeted army personnel, resulting in the deaths of three soldiers and injuries to five others in the towns of Zebdine, Qaqaiyat al-Jisr, and Doueir in Nabatieh district.
The recent escalation is part of ongoing clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, which has been launching rockets and drones toward Israel in retaliation for the Israeli attacks that commenced on March 2. These attacks have resulted in 912 fatalities, 2,221 injuries, and more than one million people displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.
On Tuesday evening, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem emphasized the continuation of resistance against Israel, stating four conditions for a resolution: cessation of Israeli aggression, withdrawal of Israeli forces from all occupied Lebanese territories, release of prisoners, and the return of displaced people to begin reconstruction.
The conflict intensified after Hezbollah attacked a military site in northern Israel on March 2, following Israeli attacks on Lebanon. This was despite a ceasefire agreed upon in November 2024 and the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on February 28.
Israel's military has initiated "limited" ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, with Israeli media estimating that troops have penetrated between 7 and 9 kilometers into Lebanese territory. The regional tensions have further escalated following US-Israeli attacks on Iran, which began on February 28 and have resulted in at least 1,332 deaths and over 15,000 injuries, according to official figures.
The Israeli military confirmed that its 36th Division is now involved in extending the ground advance in southern Lebanon. Since March 2, Israeli attacks on Lebanon have led to at least 886 deaths and 2,141 injuries, as reported by the Lebanese Health Ministry.