Israeli Air Strikes Kill 17 Civilians in Southern Lebanon Towns, UN Team Dispatched
Israeli air strikes have reportedly killed at least 17 individuals in southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese state-run National News Agency (NNA) detailing widespread aerial and artillery attacks. Nine people died in a series of strikes on the town of Tayr Debba, east of Tyre, while three others were killed in the nearby village of Deir Qanoun el-Nahr.
Further casualties include two fatalities in Seddiqin and two in Sidon, where a car was targeted by an Israeli drone. Another person was killed in the Massaken al-Shaabiya area of Tyre. These assaults follow Israeli strikes on Tuesday that reportedly killed 15 people in Lebanon, as Israel rejected Iran's demands for a ceasefire in Lebanon to be part of a broader deal.
Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed armed group, claimed it carried out further attacks against Israeli troops occupying parts of southern Lebanon, targeting military vehicles and troop gatherings with rocket and shellfire in the Bayada and Yohmor areas.
The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, announced the deployment of a human rights investigation team to Lebanon at the request of the Lebanese government. This team will investigate potential human rights violations committed by all sides since early March, with findings expected by the end of July, which could inform potential war crimes prosecutions. Israel has been informed but its cooperation remains uncertain.
Lebanon was drawn into the conflict with the US and Israel on 2 March, when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel following an Israeli strike that killed Iran's Supreme Leader. Israel responded with a bombing campaign and an invasion of southern Lebanon. The Lebanese health ministry states that at least 3,696 people have been killed in Lebanon, while Israeli authorities report 30 soldiers and four civilians killed on both sides of the border.
Almost one million people in Lebanon remain displaced, and 1.4 million require humanitarian aid, according to UN figures. A US-brokered ceasefire on 16 April failed to halt hostilities.
