Israeli strikes kill eight in southern Lebanon, breaching US-brokered ceasefire

At least eight people were killed in Israeli air strikes across southern Lebanon on Wednesday, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA). The attacks occurred in the village of Doueir, where five people died and two were injured after several homes were flattened, as well as near a hospital in Tibnin where two others were killed. A further fatality was reported in Burj Shemali following a drone attack, and the Red Cross recovered a body on the outskirts of Shebaa in the Nabatieh governorate.

These incidents constitute a direct violation of the United States-mediated ceasefire agreement, which was recently extended until the beginning of July. The fresh wave of violence follows a separate incident on Tuesday, where at least 16 people were killed in Israeli air strikes across the south. The Lebanese Health Ministry confirmed that three women and three children were among the victims of that earlier assault.

Concurrently, the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah reported clashes with Israeli troops attempting to advance into the centre of the village of Haddatha late last night. The group also confirmed engagements with Israeli forces in the town of Biyyada and the municipality of Rashaf, indicating intensified ground-level friction alongside the aerial bombardment.

Israeli military operations have expanded beyond the traditional southern frontiers into the western Bekaa Valley. Forces have been targeting Muslim Shia majority villages in the region, which lie on the logistical road linking southern front-line villages to the east of the country. This geographical shift suggests a broadening of the military campaign rather than a containment of hostilities.

The human cost of the conflict has risen sharply since March 2. Lebanese authorities report that Israeli actions have resulted in 3,073 deaths and 9,362 injuries, displacing more than 1.6 million people, which represents approximately one-fifth of the national population. Entire villages in the south have been destroyed, drawing comparisons to the devastation seen in Gaza.

Displaced residents have expressed deepening despair regarding the trajectory of the war. Yousef Hasan, displaced from the town of Yuhmor, described Israel as an expansionist state that disregards borders and occupies foreign lands, noting that the military’s reach extends as far as its soldiers can advance.