Israeli Air Strikes Kill At Least 20 in Southern Lebanon, Including Civil Defense Rescuer

Israeli air raids in southern Lebanon killed at least 20 people, including a civil defense rescuer, according to Lebanese state-run media, even as a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah remained in place.

“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

The Lebanese health ministry said an air strike in the town of Toura in the Tyre district killed four people, including two women, and injured eight others, with rescue operations ongoing and a missing girl believed trapped under rubble.

Al Jazeera

Additional strikes hit districts including Nabatieh, Bint Jbeil, and Sidon, while an Israeli drone attack targeted a vehicle in the Hasbaya district and killed a civil defense member.

In parallel, TRT World reported that at least 21 people, including a civil defence member, were killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, and it said four people were killed and three others injured in two airstrikes targeting Toura in the Tyre district.

TRT World also reported that Israeli warplanes targeted the town of Jmayjmeh in the Bint Jbeil district and that Israeli artillery fire hit the outskirts of Mansouri and Buyout al-Sayyad, reaching the Mansouri-Hamra coast.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced new evacuation orders for towns in southern Lebanon, urging residents to leave, and TRT World said residents of the towns and villages of Nmairiyeh, Tayr Felsay, Hallousiyyeh, Upper Hallousiyyeh, Toura and Maarakeh were asked to leave.

The Al Jazeera report tied the day’s casualties to U.S. President Donald Trump’s request to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "exercise restraint" regarding the ceasefire in Lebanon.

Anadolu Ajansı

Al Jazeera said Lebanon’s Health Ministry Emergency Operations Center reported that the total cumulative toll of the Israeli aggression from March 2 to April 27 reached 2,521 killed and 7,804 wounded.

In response to what it described as Israeli violations, Hezbollah announced that its fighters targeted two gatherings of Israeli soldiers and an Israeli Merkava tank in the towns of al-Tayba and al-Qantara with two swarming attack drones.

Al Jazeera also reported that Israeli aircraft raided towns including Kefartabnit, Farouq, al-Tiri, al-Shuhabiya, Joya, and al-Bazouriya, while its forces blew up residential blocks in the city of Bint Jbeil.

Despite the continuing strikes, planned negotiations between Israel and Lebanon were set to take place in Washington on May 14 and 15, with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expected to lead the delegation.

Al Jazeera said the U.S. Department of State would mediate the talks and that they would "build a framework for lasting peace and security arrangements, the full restoration of Lebanese sovereignty throughout its territory".

The same Al Jazeera report said Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told Al Jazeera Arabic that Beirut wants to "solidify" the ceasefire ahead of the next round of negotiations with Israel.

TRT World reported that since March 2, Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 2,759 people, wounded 8,512 and displaced more than 1.6 million, about one-fifth of the population, according to the latest official figures.

Euronews described the broader truce context as a ceasefire reached on April 16 between Israel and Lebanon taking effect the following day after weeks of fighting that left more than 2,000 dead and displaced more than a million across Lebanon.