Israel launched a series of strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, killing at least one person and wounding 12 others, according to Lebanon's health ministry. The Israeli military said the operation was a response to what it called a "blatant violation of the ceasefire" by Hezbollah. The strikes came as Israeli and Lebanese officials were engaged in US-sponsored ceasefire talks in Rome, with Hezbollah yet to respond to the latest developments.
Details of the Strikes
The health ministry confirmed that a man died when a strike hit the roof of a prayer hall at a cemetery in the town of Tibnin. Additional attacks were reported in Mansouri, a town further west, where Israel issued its first evacuation order in over a month. The Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesperson told residents to leave ahead of "forceful action" approximately 30 minutes before the strikes began.
An Israeli military source told local media that displaced civilians had returned to Mansouri under the supervision of the Lebanese army, which had set up a checkpoint in the area. The source claimed this breached agreed terms, as Mansouri falls within Israel's self-declared "security zone," a 10-kilometre strip of occupied Lebanese territory along the border.
Impact on Civilians
The mayor of Mansouri, Haidar Madihli, reported that Israeli warplanes had hit four buildings in the Ghazaleh neighbourhood on the town's outskirts, causing widespread damage. Families packed their belongings into cars and drove towards Tyre, the largest city in the south. About 120 families had returned to Mansouri after the June 19 ceasefire, but that figure had dropped to between 40 and 50 families in recent days as Israeli military activity intensified.
The UN's humanitarian office said more than 820,000 people displaced by the conflict had started returning home following a reduction in fighting, but about 360,000 people remain displaced across Lebanon, including 26,000 living in government shelters.
Ceasefire Talks Continue Despite Fighting
The strikes occurred while Israeli and Lebanese officials were attending US-sponsored talks in Rome aimed at preserving the ceasefire agreement. In late June, the three countries agreed a framework that would see Israel gradually withdraw from occupied southern Lebanese territory in exchange for Hezbollah disarming. Two weeks ago, the Lebanese army deployed to one of the first pilot zones after Israeli troops pulled out of the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh.
Hezbollah has rejected the agreement outright, saying provisions that link Israel's withdrawal to its own disarmament crossed "all red lines." The group did not comment on Wednesday's events.
Broader Conflict Context
Lebanon was drawn into the wider regional conflict on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel after a strike killed Iran's supreme leader. Israel responded with a bombing campaign and a ground invasion of parts of southern Lebanon. At least 4,333 people have been killed in Lebanon during the conflict, including 392 women and 253 children, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Since the ceasefire was announced, 353 more people have been killed. Israeli authorities say 38 soldiers and four civilians have died on both sides of the border.
