Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon kill 11 people, Health Ministry says

BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 11 people Saturday, in the deadliest attacks since a precarious truce between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect on June 20.

Lebanon's Health Ministry and state news agency said one of the airstrikes that targeted a home on the edge of the village of Ansar killed seven people, including three children, and wounded two. The second, on the village of Deir al-Zahrani, killed four and wounded 17.

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Israel and the Lebanese government announced a "framework agreement" on June 26, laying out a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon, in exchange for the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. It also envisions steps toward an eventual peace agreement between the two countries — which technically remain in a state of war nearly 80 years after Israel's establishment.

Saturday's strikes are the deadliest since the truce went into effect two months ago. On July 6, four people were killed in strikes on the town of Nabatiyeh Fawqa.

On June 19, a day before the truce went into effect, Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed 83 and wounded 141, according to the health ministry.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam criticized Israel's airstrikes on southern Lebanon, saying they intimidate "residents in their homes" and undermine efforts to stabilize the situation in the south.

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"The seven martyrs of the Israeli airstrike on the town of Ansar are not military infrastructure and the children and women killed were not military targets," Salam said in comments posted on X. He added that it is the job of the Lebanese state to deal with any military infrastructure in the country.

"Israel must halt this escalation," Salam said. He added that the security of the Lebanese people and their right to life on their land "are not subject to negotiation or bargaining."

President Joseph Aoun said in comments released by his office that the strikes are "a clear message to the negotiation track and to the American efforts aimed at implementing this agreement."

Intense Israeli airstrikes early Saturday also hit the strategic Ali Taher hill, which overlooks parts of the southern city of Nabatiyeh and main roads leading to it, NNA reported. Despite the truce, Israel's military has continued its almost daily attacks on the area, which is north of the Litani River and has been a de facto boundary in Lebanon, with large areas to the south under Israeli military control.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in the areas of Ali Taher and Ansar in response to an action against Israeli soldiers in the area. The military added that it will not allow the Hezbollah to harm Israeli civilians or soldiers "and will continue to operate to remove threats."

A Hezbollah official did not immediately respond when asked for comment on whether they carried out any attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.