Israeli air strikes on a village in southern Lebanon have killed at least nine people, including a child, a woman and a paramedic, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Eight people were killed when an Israeli strike destroyed a three-storey residential building in Kfar Remman overnight, the ministry said. A second strike hit a vehicle carrying paramedics, killing another paramedic.
The Lebanese health ministry said 11 people were injured in the first strike, including four children, two women and a paramedic from the Islamic Health Association, an emergency service linked to Hezbollah.
The second strike targeted a vehicle carrying paramedics from the Risala Scout Association, according to the ministry. One paramedic was killed, and two others were injured.
The Israeli military said it was looking into reports of the casualties. Israel’s foreign ministry accused Hezbollah of carrying out repeated drone attacks and trying to rebuild its military capabilities in southern Lebanon.
The latest strikes came after seven people were killed in Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon on Sunday. Israel said the attacks were carried out in response to drone attacks by Hezbollah on Israeli troops in areas occupied by Israel.
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Kfar Remman is located only a few hundred metres from what the Israeli military calls its “security zone”. The recent Israeli attacks have taken place close to areas where Israeli forces remain deployed, prompting residents to flee.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun warned that the escalation was putting a US-brokered ceasefire agreed in June at risk. He called on the international community to pressure Israel to stop the attacks.
The ceasefire framework agreed by Lebanon, Israel and the US calls for Hezbollah to disarm, Israeli forces to gradually withdraw from southern Lebanon and the Lebanese army to deploy across the area.
The latest violence follows the wider conflict that began on 2 March, when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel after an Israeli strike killed Iran’s supreme leader. Israel responded with air strikes across Lebanon and a ground invasion of parts of the south.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, at least 4,354 people have been killed during the conflict, including 394 women and 258 children.
Israeli authorities noted that 40 Israeli soldiers and four civilians have been killed on both sides of the border.
(BBC News)
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