KFAR RUMMAN, Lebanon (AP) — Israel's air force conducted two airstrikes early Monday on a village in southern Lebanon, resulting in at least 12 deaths and several injuries, including children, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. The strikes occurred amid renewed tensions between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah, despite a truce established over two months ago. The Israeli military stated that it is in "operational control" of the Ali Taher hill, which overlooks several villages and key roads leading to the city of Nabatiyeh.
The Health Ministry reported that one airstrike targeted a building, killing 11 individuals, including two children and four women, while injuring eight others, including three children and a paramedic. The second strike targeted a vehicle in the village, resulting in the death of a paramedic affiliated with the Lebanese Islamic Risala Scout Association and wounding two additional individuals.
Mustafa Farhat, an 8-year-old boy injured in the airstrike that hit his home, was comforted by his grandmother at a hospital in Nabatiyeh. The Israeli military indicated that the airstrikes were in retaliation for two Hezbollah drone attacks that targeted Israeli troops in Lebanon earlier on Monday. The military claimed the strikes aimed at a Hezbollah militant attempting to transport weapons to Kfar Rumman.
Hezbollah did not claim responsibility for the attacks and did not issue an immediate statement regarding the escalating strikes in the Nabatiyeh region. Local resident Fouad Chakaron expressed anxiety over the ongoing shelling, stating, "Now they struck the heart of the town." Another resident, Saleh Medlej, pointed to the destroyed building, questioning whether it housed missiles and asserting his intention to remain in his hometown despite the violence.
Earlier on Monday, the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for a residence in Deir al-Zahrani, shortly before a building was struck; however, there were no reported casualties from that strike. Additionally, the Israeli military reported that its troops near the Beaufort castle were fired upon by a Hezbollah member, resulting in light injuries to two soldiers, who later killed the assailant.
On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes had already killed at least seven individuals in southern Lebanon and destroyed an unoccupied hospital. These strikes followed Israel's release of five Lebanese prisoners as part of a bilateral agreement, which included Lebanon's commitment to search for the remains of Jewish Lebanese citizens missing from the civil war decades ago.
A U.S.-brokered truce between Israel and Hezbollah has faced multiple violations, with ongoing Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and Hezbollah launching drones at Israeli forces. In June, Lebanon and Israel signed a U.S.-mediated framework agreement aimed at Israeli troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament; however, implementation has seen little progress.
Hezbollah has stated it will not disarm in areas north of the Litani River, while Israeli officials have insisted on disarmament before any troop withdrawal. Kfar Rumman's mayor, Abdullah Farhat, condemned the airstrikes as a "massacre in every sense of the word," criticizing the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel and asserting that Lebanese leaders are not bearing the consequences of their decisions.
Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.