June 6, Kathmandu – Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 19 people in southern Lebanon. According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health, 10 individuals, including three children and three women, were killed at a single location in the city of Deir Kanoun. Additional attacks in the Nabatieh and Tyre districts resulted in nine more fatalities and left 29 injured, the ministry reported. These incidents occurred less than a week after the United States announced an agreement to extend the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel for another 45 days.
Despite the ceasefire, exchanges of gunfire continue primarily in southern Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah. While Israel claims to target only Hezbollah during its operations, civilians, including women and children, have also been casualties. Hezbollah, in turn, has launched rocket and drone attacks targeting Israeli troops in northern Israeli settlements and parts of southern Lebanon. On Tuesday, one Israeli soldier was killed in a Hezbollah attack.
Since March 2, the war in Lebanon escalated after the Iran-backed Shiite Islamist group Hezbollah retaliated against a U.S.–Israeli strike with rocket attacks on Israel. The joint U.S.–Israeli operation had resulted in the deaths of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top officials. Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reports that over 3,000 people have died in Israeli attacks since the conflict began in March. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has stated that its fighters are attempting to advance toward the Haddatha municipality area in southern Lebanon and are engaged in ongoing clashes with the Israeli army. Hezbollah also claims to have destroyed an Israeli tank and that Israeli forces in southern Lebanon as well as the Iron Dome air defense system near northern Israel’s border have been targeted in attacks.
