Israeli strikes on Saturday killed 14 people and wounded 37 in Lebanon, Reuters reported. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said the dead included two children and two women.
The Israeli military warned residents of seven villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate. The villages are north of the Litani River, beyond a “buffer zone” Israel seized before the ceasefire, signaling an expanded strike area.
Israel said the strikes were a response, not a ceasefire breach, arguing Hezbollah violated the truce first. It said it hit Hezbollah fighters, rocket launchers and weapons depots. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s top priority was “Israel’s security, the safety of its troops and border residents,” adding that Israel was responding forcefully “within the rules agreed with the United States and Lebanon.”
Hezbollah said it would not halt attacks on Israeli forces in Lebanon or on northern Israel as long as Israel continues what it calls ceasefire violations. It also said diplomatic solutions no longer work and indicated it would no longer rely on Lebanese authorities.
Hezbollah claimed it attacked Israeli troops and rescue units in Lebanon. The Israeli military said one soldier was killed and six were wounded.
The escalation followed the ceasefire extension. A 10-day Israel-Lebanon truce that began March 16 under U.S. mediation was extended by three weeks after a White House meeting on March 23. Reuters said the ceasefire reduced attacks but did not stop them, with both sides continuing airstrikes and drone and rocket attacks while blaming each other for violations.
The United Nations also warned of possible violations of international humanitarian law. Reuters reported that the U.N. human rights office said Israeli strikes in Lebanon and Hezbollah rocket fire toward Israel could breach the law, citing confirmed cases in which densely populated areas and residential buildings were hit.
Reuters reported that since the war reignited on March 2, more than 2,500 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli airstrikes. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said the toll includes 277 women, 177 children and 100 medical workers. Israeli authorities said two civilians and 16 soldiers have been killed in Israel.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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