Beirut: At least 27 people have been killed since early Saturday in a fresh wave of Israeli attacks on Lebanon, the Lebanese state-run media reported. The escalation has intensified tensions in the region, particularly affecting southern Lebanon.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) reported that in the latest attack, Israel bombed the town of Tefahta in southern Lebanon, resulting in 13 fatalities. Additionally, an Israeli airstrike on the town of Toul in Lebanon’s Nabatieh killed three people, including a health authority member, and wounded three others, including a paramedic, as cited by the Lebanese Health Ministry.
A separate wave of attacks claimed three lives in the town of Kfar Sir. Furthermore, four individuals lost their lives when a residential building along the Zefta-Nabatieh highway was hit. In another strike on the town of Qsaibeh, one person was killed, the NNA added.
Earlier reports from the NNA detailed the killing of three other people during an Israeli strike on a residential building in the Mayfadoun area of Lebanon’s southern Nabatieh governorate. The town of Jebchit also experienced an airstrike that targeted a private electricity generator complex, leading to its destruction and a subsequent fire.
The recent attacks are part of an expanded Israeli offensive in southern Lebanon following a cross-border attack by Hezbollah on March 2, despite a ceasefire that was supposed to have taken effect in November 2024. In an effort to de-escalate the situation, the Lebanese presidency announced on Friday evening that Lebanon and Israel have agreed to hold their first meeting on April 14 at the US State Department in Washington, DC, aiming to secure a ceasefire and initiate direct talks.
These anticipated discussions coincide with rare talks between Iran and the US in Islamabad, Pakistan, to end a conflict that began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The Islamabad meeting follows a recent announcement by US President Donald Trump of a two-week ceasefire with Iran, as Tehran presented a ‘workable’ 10-point proposal for negotiations.