Israeli Air Raids Kill At Least 20 In Southern Lebanon Despite Ceasefire

Israeli air raids killed at least 20 people in southern Lebanon, including a civil defence rescuer, despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, according to Lebanese state-run media cited by Al Jazeera.

“Israeli air raids have killed at least 20 people in southern Lebanon, including a civil defence rescuer, according to Lebanese state-run media, despite the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah”

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reported that a Lebanese health ministry statement said an Israeli air strike killed four people, including two women, and injured eight others in the town of Toura in Tyre district on Friday.

Al Jazeera

The BBC said Lebanon’s health ministry reported 39 deaths in another day of intense Israeli strikes, including a strike on the southern town of Saksakiyeh that killed at least seven people, including a child.

The BBC added that the Israel Defense Forces said it had been targeting Hezbollah and was "aware of reports regarding harm to uninvolved civilians".

In the same reporting, the BBC said the Lebanese health ministry reported that a raid on a motorbike in Nabatieh hit "a Syrian national and his 12-year-old daughter".

The Israeli army issued evacuation warnings for nine south Lebanon villages, with Avichay Adraee posting on X that "For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately" and stay away by no less than 1,000 meters.

Naharnet reported that the Israeli military said it was compelled to act forcefully due to Hezbollah’s violation of the ceasefire agreement, while Lebanese authorities reported 11 people killed in Israeli strikes on the south on Friday.

Al-Bawaba News

The BBC described how Lebanon’s health ministry said an Israeli strike on Saksakiyeh resulted in an initial toll of seven martyrs, including a girl, and 15 wounded, including three children.

In response, the IDF said it struck "Hezbollah terrorists operating from within a structure used for military purposes" and said steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians.

CBC reported that on Friday Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told a visiting delegation from the European Union that European countries should pressure Israel to commit to the ceasefire and abstain from "detonating and bulldozing " homes in villages under Israeli occupation.

As fighting continued despite the ceasefire, Al Jazeera said the Lebanese health ministry reported 2,759 people have been killed and 8,512 injured since hostilities began on March 2.

Al Jazeera also reported that a second stage of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon is expected to be held in Washington on May 14 and 15, after an initial round in mid-April led to a US-brokered ceasefire.

The US Department of State said it would mediate the talks and that they would "build a framework for lasting peace and security arrangements" and "the full restoration of Lebanese sovereignty throughout its territory".

CBC reported that the meeting expected to be held in Washington next Thursday and Friday followed Lebanon and Israel’s first direct talks in more than three decades, and it noted that a 10-day ceasefire declared in Washington went into effect on April 17 and was later extended by three weeks.

Meanwhile, the BBC said the Lebanese health ministry reported that Israeli attacks have killed more than 120 people across the country in the last week, and it added that the ministry does not distinguish combatants from civilians.