World Affairs
Israeli strikes kill four and destroy vacant hospital in southern Lebanon
Lebanese authorities called the attacks a dangerous escalation; Israel said it targeted Hezbollah facilities after a drone attack and identified the former hospital building as a command center.
Executive summary
- The toll: Israeli strikes killed four people in southern Lebanon on Sunday, including two women in Arab Salim and two men near Nabatieh, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.[1][2]
- The damage: Lebanese authorities said the strikes destroyed a vacant hospital and damaged a Finance Ministry building; the Associated Press reported at least 20 people wounded, including three children and five women.[1][2]
- Israel's account: Israel said it struck Hezbollah weapons-storage sites and a command center in a building previously used as a hospital after Hezbollah launched two drones at Israeli troops in the security zone.[1][2]
- The context: The attacks followed a June U.S.-brokered ceasefire that reduced wider fighting but did not end strikes and skirmishes in southern Lebanon.[1][2]
Israeli strikes killed four people in southern Lebanon on Sunday and destroyed a vacant hospital, according to Lebanese authorities, in a new escalation after Israel said Hezbollah launched drones at its troops. Lebanon's Health Ministry said two women were killed in Arab Salim and two men were killed near Nabatieh, while the Associated Press reported at least 20 wounded, including three children and five women.[1][2]
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's office said the strikes destroyed a hospital and damaged a Finance Ministry building, calling the attacks a dangerous escalation against civilian administrations and health centers. The hospital was empty because residents had largely left the area during the war, according to the Associated Press.[1][2]
The Israeli military said Hezbollah had launched two drones at soldiers operating inside an Israeli-declared security zone in southern Lebanon. It said its response targeted Hezbollah weapons-storage facilities and a command center located in a building previously used as a hospital, and that it used precision munitions and aerial surveillance to reduce civilian harm. Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the initial Israeli account, Reuters reported.[1][2]
Israel issued an online evacuation warning for areas near a building in Arab Salim before the attack. Reuters reported that it was only the second such online warning since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was announced in June. Two girls were among six people injured in the Arab Salim strike, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.[2]
The ceasefire reduced fighting across much of Lebanon but did not end exchanges around contested positions in the south. Israel continues to operate in what it calls a security zone, while Hezbollah has rejected broader demands to disarm. Sunday's civilian toll and the destruction of a former hospital building sharpen pressure on the U.S.-mediated framework as each side accuses the other of violating it.[1][2]