Israel Strikes Kfardounine, Killing Six And Wounding Seven In Southern Lebanon

Israeli strikes on a town in southern Lebanon killed six people and wounded seven others, state media said Tuesday, as fighting continued despite a ceasefire agreement.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli strikes Monday night hit a house in Kfardounine, a town about 95 kilometers from capital Beirut, and said the wounded were transported to hospitals in the coastal city of Tyre.

Al Jazeera

The Israeli army later ordered the residents of Arzoun, Tayrdebba, Bazourieh and al-Hosh to evacuate ahead of imminent strikes, while the NNA reported strikes near other southern Lebanese towns and an Israeli military strike on Sohmor in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa valley.

The Reuters account said Israel has intensified its attacks in south Lebanon as it trades fire with Iran-backed Hezbollah despite an April 17 ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that aimed to halt the fighting, and it added that more than 2,800 people have been killed in Lebanon since March 2.

In a separate report, TRT عربي described an Israeli drone launched a guided-missile strike on Yater in the Bint Jbeil District that killed one person, and it said an Israeli airstrike on Aba in the Nabatieh District killed two people and injured five others.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun urged Washington to pressure Israel to stop the escalation, and TRT عربي said this came during his meeting with the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Michal Isa, at Baabda Palace.

TRT عربي reported that Aoun stressed the need to stop the ongoing Israeli attacks, while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam emphasized the importance of solidifying a ceasefire during his meeting with the American ambassador.

Al-Sahifa Al-Khaleej

The same TRT عربي account said early Monday Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee warned of evacuating nine towns in southern and eastern Lebanon in preparation for strikes, claiming there are Hezbollah targets there.

Naharnet also reported that Lebanese leaders urged the U.S. ambassador to Beirut to pressure Israel to halt its attacks during the ceasefire, and it added that Hezbollah claimed at least 20 attacks on Israeli military targets in south Lebanon as retaliation for ceasefire violations.

Naharnet further said the Israeli army reported that two Hezbollah drones had damaged "unmanned engineering vehicles" in south Lebanon, and that its troops had "eliminated" a militant cell there.

Masrawy reported that 13 martyrs were killed in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon, including a Lebanese soldier, two Civil Defense medics, and a child, citing the Lebanese Health Ministry's Emergency Operations Center.

Masrawy said an airstrike on Nabatieh killed five people including two Civil Defense medics, and it reported that an airstrike on Jbeshit martyred four people including a Lebanese army soldier and a Syrian citizen, while injuring 12 others.

Al-Manar TV Lebanon said a Lebanese Health Ministry report of an Israeli raid on Kfardounine in the Bint Jbeil district left 4 martyrs, including a child and a woman, and two wounded, including a woman.

In the broader tally, TRT عربي said that since March 2, Israel's aggression against Lebanon has resulted in 2,715 deaths and 8,353 others injured, in addition to the displacement of more than 1.6 million people, according to official Lebanese figures.

Naharnet described the operational stakes as Israel intensified attacks in south Lebanon despite the April 17 ceasefire, while it reported that the Israeli army later ordered evacuations ahead of imminent strikes and that the NNA reported casualties in areas including Zebdine where an Israeli drone struck two people "while they were distributing bread".