Beirut: Lebanon’s health ministry reported that Israeli strikes on southern areas Sunday left 14 dead, representing the most fatalities on any day since the fragile ceasefire entered force more than a week ago.
Tensions simmered Israel and Hezbollah traded accusations over alleged truce violations amid mounting friction. At his weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the army was “vigorously” striking Hezbollah targets, while the group affirmed it would respond to “violations” head-on.
Since the April 17 truce — extended on Thursday for three weeks after six weeks of war and a southern Israeli incursion — the Israeli military has launched repeated operations. Troops patrol a “yellow line” buffer, roughly 10 kilometres wide along the border, barring resident returns.
Sunday’s toll included two women and two children, with 37 more wounded, the health ministry said. Israeli actions have claimed at least 36 lives post-truce, according to an AFP count of ministry data.
Heavy Casualties & Military Clashes
Israel’s armed forces reported one soldier killed “during combat” in southern Lebanon on Sunday, alongside six wounded — four critically.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) detailed strikes across southern zones, hitting both warned areas and others. AFP reporters noted northbound traffic surges as evacuations and raids intensified.
“Hezbollah’s violations are, in practice, dismantling the ceasefire,” Netanyahu charged at his weekly cabinet session.
The agreement, stemming from Israeli-Lebanese talks that provoked Hezbollah, permits responses to “planned, imminent or ongoing attacks.” Activists and rights advocates claim Israel invokes this to enable attacks and fatalities.
Hezbollah countered that Israel’s “continued ceasefire violations… and above all its continued occupation of Lebanese territory and violations of its sovereignty will be met with a response.” Its fighters struck Israeli troop sites in south Lebanon, citing reprisals for village assaults and truce breaches.
Evacuations, Strikes & Broader Toll
Israel ordered evacuations from seven southern towns and villages on Sunday. NNA soon reported warplanes hitting Kfar Tibnit with casualties, plus a Zawtar al-Sharqiyah raid demolishing a mosque and religious structure.
Shelling also targeted border villages, NNA added. Grey smoke was seen rising over Nabatieh al-Fawqa and other spots post-strikes.
Lebanon’s health ministry attributes over 2,500 deaths and 7,700 injuries to Israeli strikes since the war started.
The UNIFIL force marked a Beirut memorial for an Indonesian peacekeeper killed Friday from last month’s southern blast wounds. A preliminary UN probe links the detonation to an Israeli tank shell.
