Israeli Strike Kills Six, Including Three Paramedics, in Harouf as US Extends Lebanon Ceasefire

An Israeli air strike on a town in southern Lebanon killed six people, including three paramedics, Lebanon's health ministry said, as the US announced a 45-day ceasefire extension between Israel and Lebanon.

The BBC reported that the health ministry said a fourth paramedic sustained "critical injuries" after a civil defence centre was attacked in the town of Harouf.

Al Jazeera

The BBC also said Lebanon's health ministry previously accused Israel of strikes that killed 22 people, including eight children, across the south.

The Guardian added that moments after the ceasefire renewal was announced, an Israeli strike hit a centre of the Hezbollah-linked Islamic Health Committee in the southern town of Hanuf, killing six people including three paramedics and leaving 22 wounded.

The Guardian further reported that Israel also carried out strikes in the southern city of Tyre after issuing evacuation orders, while Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli barracks in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona with drones.

US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the talks were "highly productive" and that the truce extension would "enable further progress," as Israel and Lebanon prepared for negotiations from 2-3 June.

The Guardian reported that Pigott said on social media, "We hope these discussions will advance lasting peace between the two countries," while Israel's ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, wrote on X that "There will be ups and downs, but the potential for success is great."

Al Jazeera

In Lebanon, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he hoped to "mobilise all Arab and international support to bolster our position in the negotiations" with Israel, according to the Guardian.

The Times of Israel said the IDF launched a wave of airstrikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, the first since a ceasefire was extended by 45 days, and it cited an IDF warning from army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee: "In light of the Hezbollah terror organization’s violations of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is forced to act against it with force".

The Times of Israel also said the Lebanese delegation welcomed the extension and touted separate military and political tracks meeting at the State Department and Pentagon, while Hezbollah rejected the direct talks and insisted its weapons were not up for discussion.

Despite the extension, the BBC said there have been almost daily reports of Hezbollah and Israel trading fire across the southern border of Lebanon since the ceasefire began, and it said at least 2,896 people have been killed in Lebanon since then, according to the health ministry.

The Guardian reported that the Lebanese health ministry said strikes in the Tyre district wounded at least 37 people, including six hospital personnel, nine women and four children, while Israel's pounding and invasion of the south continued in response to fire from Hezbollah.

The Times of India said the ceasefire extension would keep the cessation of hostilities in place beyond its original expiry date on Sunday while fresh political and military negotiations continued, with US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott describing the talks as "highly productive".

The Times of India also said a separate "security track" involving military officials from both countries was set to begin at the Pentagon on May 29, and it described the next round of talks as resuming on June 2 and 3.

In the field, the Al Jazeera report said Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon continued a day after the 45-day extension, with at least three people killed when Israeli aircraft targeted the town of Tayr Falsayh in the Tyre district, and it quoted a Lebanese presidency statement calling the extension "critical breathing space for our citizens".