Hezbollah condemns Israeli ‘massacre’ in southern Lebanon, vows response

The Lebanese Islamic Resistance Hezbollah has condemned the Israeli regime’s “brutal massacre” of Lebanese women and children in its latest wave of aggression, which killed at least 11 people, including three children. In a statement, Hezbollah said the strikes targeted a house on the outskirts of Ansar and a building in Deir al-Zahrani early Saturday, killing 11 people and wounding 12 others. “This deliberate crime adds to the enemy’s long record of massacres, bloodshed against the Lebanese people, the destruction of their homes, the devastation of their farmland, and the erasure of entire villages,” the statement read. The latest aggression, Hezbollah said, reflected Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s determination to expand the war for domestic political interests and to appease far-right forces. The Lebanese resistance group said the Israeli regime and the United States “bear responsibility for this continued aggression and violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.” Hezbollah also criticized Beirut’s pursuit of US-sponsored negotiations with Tel Aviv, saying the approach had so far failed to protect the country and its people. The Lebanese government, it said, “should be looking for every available means to halt this aggression” instead of pursuing what it called “the humiliating path of direct negotiations.” Hezbollah also warned Beirut against “offering the enemy concessions for free” despite Israel’s ongoing attacks and its “openly declared expansionist ambitions toward Lebanon.” Hezbollah called for a comprehensive review of government policies and said reliance on US guarantees was a “failed bet.” The resistance group warned that Israeli attacks and attempts to impose new realities on the ground would not continue unchecked, saying they would be met with an appropriate response in defense of Lebanon, its people, sovereignty and national dignity. Eleven killed, several injured in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon in latest ceasefire violation At least eleven people have been killed and several others injured in a series of Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, despite a ceasefire that took effect two months ago. In a separate statement, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri described the deadly Israeli attacks on Ansar and Deir al-Zahrani as a “massacre,” saying the airstrikes represented the continuation of the “war aimed at extermination” in southern Lebanon. Berri said Israel does not respect ceasefire agreements or international law, nor does it regard diplomatic efforts to end the aggression against Lebanon and the wider region. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also took to X, describing the Israeli escalation as “extremely dangerous” and saying it undermined efforts to consolidate stability in southern Lebanon. Salam said the civilians killed in Ansar on Saturday were not military targets. He reiterated that the security of the Lebanese people and their right to live on their land were “not subject to negotiation or compromise.” Saturday’s attacks came despite a framework agreement signed between Beirut and Tel Aviv on June 26 under US sponsorship. The agreement provides for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory in exchange for the deployment of the Lebanese army there and the disarmament of Hezbollah. Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected calls to disarm the resistance movement, saying the US-mediated framework agreement violates the Lebanese constitution. Prominent Hezbollah lawmaker Hussein Hajj Hassan has previously warned that negotiations with Israel have brought Lebanon nothing but successive concessions. He said the talks continue while “the Zionists continue to target Lebanese civilians, army servicemen, demolish homes, and wreak havoc in southern Lebanon.” Calling on the government to abandon the wrong path of reaching agreements with the Israeli regime, Hajj Hassan said protecting the homeland and national sovereignty, as well as defending Lebanese citizens, are among the government’s core responsibilities.