The New Indian Express ·
Lebanon says 4 dead in strikes that Israel calls response to Hezbollah drones
BEIRUT: Lebanon said four people were killed on Sunday in strikes which Israel said it carried out after Hezbollah had launched drones at its soldiers in south Lebanon, the latest escalation amid a fragile truce.
Lebanon's health ministry reported two people killed in south Lebanon's Nabatieh al-Fawqa and two women killed in nearby Arab Salim.
It said 20 other people including several women and three children were wounded in those locations as well as in the city of Nabatieh and the town of Kfar Rumman, adding that the toll was provisional.
Israel's army said it was striking south Lebanon after Hezbollah fighters launched two drones towards Israeli soldiers operating in Israel's self-declared "security zone" in the south.
It slammed a "blatant violation" by Hezbollah, without reporting troop casualties in the incident.
Shortly before the statement, Israel's military had issued its first evacuation notice in Lebanon in several weeks, warning residents near a building it identified as a Hezbollah "facility" in Arab Salim to evacuate ahead of an attack on the site.
It did not issue warnings for other areas where strikes were reported.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said that after the Israeli warning for the building, "enemy warplanes launched a strike on another house, destroying it" and killing the two women.
It said the Israeli military subsequently "carried out a strike on the home" threatened in the evacuation warning.
'Security zone'
The NNA said a strike in Nabatieh al-Fawqa destroyed part of the Ghandour hospital, adding that it had been out of service for years.
It also said a heavy airstrike on Nabatieh city targeted a historical building and damaged offices belonging to state finance and agriculture authorities, while shops and cafes in the vicinity were also damaged.
It also reported a strike on a motorcycle in the area.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war in March after Hezbollah attacked Israel in support of its backer Iran.
Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion that Lebanon says have killed more than 4,300 people.
Israeli forces are still operating inside a self-declared "security zone" around 10 kilometres (six miles) deep inside Lebanon along the border.
Violence has lessened since a US-Iran memorandum of understanding on the broader conflict in June, while Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement later that month.
But Lebanon still reports Israeli strikes, artillery shelling and broad demolitions of civilian buildings in southern villages and towns.
On Friday, Israeli strikes in the country's south and east killed four people including an 18-year-old woman, authorities said, as Israel said it struck Hezbollah targets in response to a drone launch towards its soldiers.
Earlier this week, Israel said it had taken "operational control" of the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge near Nabatieh.
Hezbollah has not commented on the announcement or confirmed that Israel has captured the site.
Also this week, the International Committee of the Red Cross facilitated the transfer to Lebanon of five people detained by Israel.
Israel and Lebanon began direct negotiations after the latest hostilities erupted, with fresh talks expected this month, though no date has been announced.
