Israel kills 3 in southern Lebanon as Hezbollah strikes back
Shafaq News- Beirut
Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon on Friday killed at least three people, including a medic, and wounded several others as air raids, artillery shelling, and drone attacks intensified despite the ongoing US-backed ceasefire.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said an Israeli strike directly targeted an ambulance team in the Marjayoun district, killing a paramedic affiliated with the Islamic Health Authority and wounding another medic, bringing the cumulative toll from Israeli attacks since March 2 to 2,727 killed and 8,438 wounded.
Israeli strikes killed two people and wounded five others in the Tyre district alone, while attacks also targeted areas across the Bint Jbeil, Marjayoun, and Nabatieh districts, Lebanese media reported.
Israeli forces also briefly advanced into the outskirts of Al-Bayyada from the western sector before coming under attack, prompting helicopter cover and artillery shelling in nearby areas.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, said it targeted an Israeli D9 bulldozer in Al-Bayyada with an attack drone, describing the operation as a response to Israeli ceasefire violations and attacks that killed and wounded civilians in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military claimed that it was preparing for further fire from Lebanese territory toward northern Israel following “recent developments,” referencing an assassination attempt targeting Hezbollah’s Radwan Force commander Ahmad Ballout, which the group has yet to comment on.
The ceasefire, brokered by Washington on April 17 after weeks of fighting, was initially announced for 10 days before being extended until May 17 amid direct Israeli-Lebanese negotiations hosted by the United States. A third round of talks is expected in Washington next week.
Read more: Ceasefire without sovereignty: how Lebanon's fragmented power blocks a peace with Israel
