Lebanon says 39 killed in fresh Israeli strikes

The strike on Saksakiyeh also injured 15 people including three children, the Lebanese ministry said

At least 39 people have been killed in a new wave of Israeli air strikes across Lebanon, according to the country’s health ministry, amid escalating cross-border hostilities involving Israel and the armed group Hezbollah.

One of the deadliest attacks struck the southern Lebanese town of Saksakiyeh, where seven people, including a child, were reportedly killed and 15 others injured. Lebanese authorities said three of the injured were children.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency also reported that another Israeli strike in the southern city of Nabatieh killed a Syrian man and critically wounded his 12-year-old daughter.

According to the Lebanese health ministry, the pair were initially targeted while travelling on a motorbike. Officials alleged that after escaping the first strike, they were attacked again by a drone, killing the father. The ministry further claimed the girl was directly targeted in a third strike and is now undergoing emergency surgery.

Israel has not publicly commented on the incidents.

The latest violence comes despite a ceasefire agreement announced on 16 April by US President Donald Trump between the governments of Israel and Lebanon.

Since then, Israeli forces and Hezbollah have continued exchanging fire along the border.

The Israeli military says its operations in southern Lebanon are aimed at dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure and creating what it describes as a “Hezbollah-free” security zone to protect northern Israeli communities.

Lebanese officials say Israeli strikes over the past week have killed more than 120 people nationwide, including women and children. The health ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said it launched an explosive drone towards northern Israel in retaliation for the continuing Israeli bombardment. The Israeli military confirmed that three reservist soldiers were wounded in the attack, one of them seriously.

Israel and Hezbollah had previously agreed to a ceasefire in November 2024 following months of conflict. However, tensions reignited after US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, prompting retaliatory rocket and drone attacks by Hezbollah against Israel in March.

Israeli forces later re-entered southern Lebanon, where large sections of border communities have been destroyed amid continuing military operations.

According to Lebanese authorities, nearly 2,800 people have been killed in Lebanon since early March, while Israeli officials say 17 soldiers and one civilian have died in southern Lebanon, alongside two civilians in northern Israel.