BEIRUT (AFP) — Israeli airstrikes killed at least 10 people in Lebanon on Friday, including rescuers and a child, as cross-border fighting with Hezbollah intensified despite a recent ceasefire extension.
Lebanon’s health ministry said six people were killed in a strike on Deir Qanun al-Nahr near Tyre, including two rescuers from the Risala Scouts association and a Syrian girl. Four more rescuers linked to Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Committee were killed earlier in Hanaway.
Late Friday, Israeli warplanes carried out five strikes near the eastern town of Brital, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency. The area near the Syrian border had largely avoided attacks since the April 17 ceasefire.
In Tyre, AFP reporters heard two explosions as Israeli strikes hit buildings on the city’s outskirts and inside the city, sending smoke into the air. Emergency crews used loudspeakers to urge residents to evacuate.
Israel’s military issued evacuation warnings for Burj Rahal and parts of Tyre, saying Hezbollah facilities in the areas were being targeted.
The Israeli military also said it killed two armed individuals near the border after troops identified “suspicious” movement in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah said it had attacked Israeli troops and positions in northern Israel and southern Lebanon.
“We are fighting our enemy on the battlefield, and it has grown frustrated by the strength and heroism of our fighters... so it resorts to unleashing the hell of its rage, might and tyranny to destroy your villages and displace you,” Hezbollah parliamentary bloc chief Mohammad Raad said in a message to supporters.
Raad also repeated Hezbollah’s opposition to direct talks between Lebanon and Israel.
The violence came after the United States imposed sanctions on nine people linked to Hezbollah, accusing them of “obstructing the peace process in Lebanon.” Those sanctioned included two Lebanese military officers accused of sharing information with the group.