Israeli Drone Strikes Kill 22 People, Including Eight Children, In Southern Lebanon

Israeli drone strikes on vehicles in southern Lebanon killed 22 people, including eight children, the Lebanese health ministry said, as the war between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah continued despite a ceasefire.

The BBC reported that eight people died when drones targeted three vehicles on the coastal highway in the Barja, Jiyeh and Saadiyat areas, about 20km from Beirut, and that four others were killed in strikes on cars further south in the city of Sidon and the towns of Maaliyeh, Chaaitiyeh and Naqoura.

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In a later update, BBC officials said Israeli strikes killed six people in the village of Arab Salim, three people in Roumine and one person in Harouf, while the Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah weapons storage facilities and rocket launchers in several areas on Wednesday.

The UPI account put the toll at at least 12 people killed in expanded Israeli attacks targeting cars along the coastal highway south of Beirut, with the Lebanese Health Ministry saying eight people, including two children, died in those strikes and four others died in similar attacks between Sidon and Naqoura.

The escalation came a day before Lebanon and Israel were to begin a third round of U.S.-mediated talks in Washington on Thursday and Friday, according to UPI.

The BBC said the Israeli military told residents of nine towns and villages in the south to evacuate, warning that it intended to act forcefully against Hezbollah in the vicinity.

It also reported that UNIFIL was "increasingly concerned" about the activities of Hezbollah members and Israeli soldiers near UN positions in southern Lebanon, including "the increased use of drones, which has resulted in explosions in and around our bases and put peacekeepers at risk".

Al Jazeera

Hezbollah said its fighters attacked Israeli troops operating in several areas in southern Lebanon with attack drones, rockets and explosive devices, while the BBC reported that the ministry accused Israeli forces of deliberately targeting the paramedics in what it called a "blatant violation of international humanitarian law".

UPI reported that Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said the group "will not abandon the battlefield" and would turn it into "hell" for Israel, and UPI also said Qassem called on Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to withdraw from direct negotiations with Israel.

The BBC further said that in a letter released on Tuesday, Hezbollah's leader Naim Qassem dismissed those efforts and said his group would "not abandon the battlefield".

As the ceasefire period approached its end, the BBC said more than 400 people have been killed across the country since the ceasefire was announced by US President Donald Trump almost a month ago, and it added that more than 10,600 homes have been damaged or destroyed over the same period.

The BBC also said the conflict started on 2 March, two days after the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran, and it reported that at least 2,896 people have been killed in Lebanon since then, according to the health ministry.

NBC News described how, even during the Trump-declared ceasefire that came into effect April 16, Israeli forces leveled whole areas of towns and villages in southern Lebanon, with satellite imagery and photos showing flattened blocks and neighborhoods.

In that same NBC account, Bilal Saab said the truce was "only a ceasefire in name," and he argued Israel was using it to "systematically dismantle towns and villages and other facilities, including mosques, schools, in the south near the border".

With a major focus on direct talks in Washington, the UPI report said the escalation occurred a day before the third round of U.S.-mediated talks, while the BBC said Israeli and Lebanese officials are expected to hold a third round of direct talks in Washington to try to find a way to stop the fighting.