Israel kills 5 in over a dozen attacks on southern Lebanon

The tally covered attacks reported as of 0812GMT.

In the latest attack, one person was killed and another wounded when Israeli shelling targeted the town of Borj Qalawieh in the Tyre district, the agency reported.

In the Nabatieh province, one person was killed and another wounded when an Israeli strike targeted a building near a police station in the town of Doueir, destroying it.

Three more people were killed in another Israeli strike on the same town, raising the death toll there to four, the agency reported.

Israeli drones also launched a series of strikes on the towns of Habboush and Abba, as well as on a motorcycle near the Popular Aid junction, wounding one person.

The escalation also included artillery shelling that targeted Kfar Rumman, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, and the outskirts of Choukin and Mayfadoun, while an Israeli drone struck the area around the Harouf-Toul roundabout.

In Tyre, 12 people were wounded in a strike near Jabal Amel Hospital that destroyed a building belonging to Bank Audi. Civil defense teams transferred the wounded to the hospital, the agency reported.

The town of Majdal Zoun in the same district was also hit by an Israeli airstrike, while artillery targeted the outskirts of Borj Qalawieh and Deir Kifa, the agency said.

In the Zahrani area, an Israeli drone targeted the al-Barrak area near the Addousiyeh junction before dawn, the agency reported.

Separately, the Israeli army claimed Friday that it had killed a Hezbollah field official in a strike in southern Lebanon last week.

The army said in a statement that it killed Abd Harb, who it described as a “commander of Hezbollah’s engineering unit.”

The Israeli army did not provide verifiable evidence for its claims, and Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the statement.

Ceasefire efforts

The attacks came despite a fragile ceasefire in place since April 17, which Washington extended until early July, and amid continued diplomatic efforts to preserve it and prevent its collapse.

A joint Lebanese-US-Israeli statement announced early Thursday that Beirut and Tel Aviv had agreed during talks in Washington to implement a ceasefire based on a complete halt to Hezbollah attacks and the withdrawal of all Hezbollah members from the area south of the Litani River.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the US would determine the timing and mechanism for implementing the ceasefire, which could begin within 24 hours of receiving approval.

But Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem rejected the outcomes of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.

Israel occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some held for decades and others seized during the 2023–2024 conflict. During the current offensive, Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) into Lebanese territory, marking their deepest incursion since 2000.

More than 3,500 people have been killed and over 10,000 injured in Israeli attacks across Lebanon since March 2, according to Lebanese officials.