Eleven killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, authorities say

Eleve people have bee killed i Is aeli st ikes i southe Leba o , autho ities say, i o e of the deadliest days of attacks si ce a ag eeme t aimed at educi g hostilities was a ou ced i Ju e.

Leba o ‘s p ime mi iste said seve people we e killed i a st ike o a house o the outski ts of A sa , 70km (43 miles) south of the capital, Bei ut. State media epo ted th ee child e a d two wome we e amo g the dead.

Is ael’s Defe se Fo ces (IDF) said it had killed a comma de of Hezbollah – the I a -backed Shia militia – followi g a attack agai st Is aeli soldie s.

The comma de ‘s family “who he used as huma shields” we e p ese t a d “ha med”, it added.

Late o Satu day, a othe ou d of st ikes hit the tow of Dei al-Zah a i, killi g fou a d wou di g five othe s, the Leba ese mi ist y of health said.

Leba ese autho ities say the st ike i A sa at a ou d 04:30 (01:30 GMT) occu ed whe e displaced families we e livi g. Footage o social media shows la ge plumes of smoke pe meati g th ough the st eets of the village as si e s i g out.

Leba o ‘s P ime Mi iste Nawaf Salam co dem ed the attacks, sayi g the seve civilia s killed we e ot “milita y i f ast uctu e”.

“Is ael must halt this escalatio ,” he said. “Fo the secu ity of ou people a d thei ight to life o thei la d a e ot subject to egotiatio o ba gai i g.”

The IDF said the i cide t that p ompted its st ike o A sa had take place i the Ali al-Tahe Ridge, a st ategic high g ou d ove looki g much of south-easte Leba o a d o e of the wa ‘s most fie cely co tested positio s.

A late IDF stateme t said Ali Sami al-Haj Hassa , who it desc ibed as a Hezbollah battalio comma de i the Radwa Fo ce u it, had bee killed.

“Alo gside him, seve al additio al te o ists who we e i volved i adva ci g te o attacks agai st IDF soldie s we e elimi ated,” it added.

“The st ike was specifically di ected at Hassa , who was a lawful ta get u de i te atio al law, ot at his family membe s who he used as huma shields – hidi g alo gside them i side the milita y HQ,” the IDF said.

The office of Is aeli P ime Mi iste Be jami Neta yahu also issued a stateme t, defe di g the IDF st ike.

It said the Hezbollah attack had se iously i ju ed th ee soldie s a d the espo se had st uck “the Hezbollah te o headqua te s which o de ed the attack”.

“O ly late did the IDF lea that Hezbollah delibe ately put civilia s i that milita y compou d,” the stateme t added, befo e sayi g “Hezbollah is willi g to do a ythi g, i cludi g usi g its ow civilia s as huma shields, to falsely accuse Is ael of delibe ately ta geti g civilia s, which the IDF clea ly did ot”.

Hezbollah dismissed Neta yahu’s “false claims” a d said Leba ese civilia s “we e delibe ately ta geted i thei homes, ma y of whom we e educed to huma emai s, followed by claims that the locatio s we e milita y sites”.

Leba o was d aw i to the wa betwee Is ael, the US a d I a o 2 Ma ch, whe Hezbollah – the a med g oup affiliated with I a – lau ched ockets i to Is ael i etaliatio fo a st ike that killed I a ‘s sup eme leade .

Is ael espo ded by lau chi g a bombi g campaig ac oss Leba o a d i vadi g a sig ifica t pa t of the cou t y’s south. Its fo ces co ti ue to occupy oughly 5% of Leba ese te ito y.

The Ju e ceasefi e f amewo k calls fo Hezbollah to disa m, Is aeli fo ces to withd aw g adually f om southe Leba o a d the Leba ese a my to deploy ac oss the a ea.

Leba o ‘s P eside t Joseph Aou co dem ed the Is aeli st ikes that had killed a e ti e family i A sa a d its ” epeated violatio s” of the f amewo k, which he said se t a “clea message” to the US-led egotiatio s.

Hezbollah was ot i volved i the ag eeme t a d has ejected di ect egotiatio s.

The IDF says it will co ti ue to emove th eats to Is aeli citize s a d soldie s ope ati g i the secu ity zo e – the 10km-deep milita y buffe i southe Leba o occupied by Is ael.

Despite a eductio i fighti g followi g the Ju e ag eeme ts, Is aeli st ikes a d demolitio s i southe Leba o have co ti ued.

Leba ese a d Is aeli egotiato s a e set to meet fo a eighth ou d of egotiatio s i Septembe , but a fi al date has ot bee set.