Israeli Strikes Kill 39 In Lebanon, Including Child, Health Ministry Says

Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes killed 39 people in another day of intense attacks, with one strike on the southern town of Saksakiyeh killing at least seven people including a child.

The BBC reported that the health ministry said the raid “resulted in an initial toll of seven martyrs, including a girl, and 15 wounded, including three children”.

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The BBC also said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated it was targeting Hezbollah and that it was “aware of reports regarding harm to uninvolved civilians”.

In Nabatieh, the BBC said an Israeli strike on a motorbike killed “a Syrian national and his 12-year-old daughter,” after a drone attacked a second time and then targeted the girl directly for a third time.

The BBC added that Israeli attacks have killed more than 120 people across Lebanon in the last week, while the ministry does not distinguish combatants from civilians.

In northern Israel, the IDF said a Hezbollah explosive drone attack killed an IDF reservist, Warrant Officer (res.) Alexander Glovanyov, 47, near the Manara outpost close to the border with Lebanon.

The Times of Israel reported that Glovanyov was killed around 4 p.m. on Sunday when several explosive-laden drones launched by Hezbollah struck in Israeli territory, and it said one of the drones killed him according to an IDF probe.

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The Times of Israel quoted his mother Flora saying, “We spoke the day before yesterday for the last time. I was afraid of what was happening in the north”.

The Times of Israel said the IDF issued evacuation warnings for nine villages in southern Lebanon and that army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee warned residents: “In light of the Hezbollah terror organization’s violations of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is forced to act against it with force and does not intend to harm you”.

The Times of Israel also said the slain reservist was the fifth soldier to be killed in southern Lebanon amid the apparent ceasefire.

As Lebanon and Israel prepare for renewed diplomacy, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told Al Arabiya that “we support peace, but this peace has conditions,” while responding to whether negotiations are aimed at a ceasefire or a peace agreement.

The Times of Israel said Salam described Lebanon as engaged in preliminary talks with Israel in Washington, DC, in preparation for more substantive negotiations, and it said Lebanon’s demands include a ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, and the release of Lebanese prisoners held in Israeli prisons.

The Times of Israel reported that Israel’s position for the talks includes disarmament and that i24NEWS said Israel clarified “there is currently no discussion of a withdrawal. The issue is not on the table until Hezbollah is disarmed.”

Meanwhile, the BBC said Israeli forces and Hezbollah have continued to trade fire since US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire deal between the governments of Israel and Lebanon on 16 April.

The BBC also said the Israeli military occupies a strip of Lebanese land along the border and that officials say the aim is to create what they describe as a Hezbollah-free security zone, while rights groups say some cases could amount to war crimes.