Israeli Strikes Kill 39 in Lebanon, Including Seven in Saksakiyeh
Thirty-nine people have been killed in another day of intensive Israeli strikes across Lebanon, according to the country's health ministry. An Israeli strike on the southern town of Saksakiyeh resulted in at least seven fatalities, including a child. Separately, a Syrian national was killed and his 12-year-old daughter seriously injured in Nabatieh after a drone strike, with local media reporting multiple direct engagements by the drone.
Continued Engagements and Casualties
Lebanese armed group Hezbollah responded by targeting northern Israel with a drone, which the Israeli military claimed wounded three soldiers. These exchanges of fire persist despite a ceasefire announcement by US President Donald Trump on 16 April between the governments of Israel and Lebanon. Most Israeli airstrikes have concentrated on southern Lebanon, with the military stating its targets are infrastructure and personnel linked to Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia.
On Saturday, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported widespread Israeli strikes in the south, including Saksakiyeh. The health ministry specified that the raid in Saksakiyeh "resulted in an initial toll of seven martyrs, including a girl, and 15 wounded, including three children." Regarding the Nabatieh incident, the ministry detailed that an Israeli strike on a motorbike hit "a Syrian national and his 12-year-old daughter," adding that the drone pursued and targeted the girl directly after the initial strike, who is now undergoing life-saving surgery. Israel has not commented on these specific strikes.
According to the Lebanese health ministry, Israeli attacks have killed over 120 people across Lebanon in the past week, encompassing women and children. The ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its reporting. Israeli forces also occupy a strip of Lebanese land along the border, aiming to establish a "Hezbollah-free security zone" to protect northern Israeli communities. In these occupied areas, entire villages have been razed, actions consistent with Israeli military operations in Gaza, which human rights organisations suggest could constitute war crimes.
Hezbollah, in turn, has launched rocket and drone attacks against Israeli troops in Lebanon and northern Israel. The group stated its Saturday drone attack on northern Israel was in retaliation for ongoing Israeli aggressions. The Israeli military identified "an explosive drone launched by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation" near the border, confirming three army reservists were injured, one seriously.
The current conflict with Iran began on 28 February, when the United States and Israel launched extensive strikes on Iran, resulting in the death of Iran's Supreme Leader and hundreds of civilians. On the first day, the US-Israel coalition targeted an Iranian primary school, killing hundreds, including 110 children. Hezbollah responded on 2 March by launching rockets and drones into Israel. In early March, Israeli forces re-entered southern Lebanon, destroying villages and maintaining an occupation of 10km of Lebanese territory. The Lebanese health ministry reports a total of 2,795 fatalities in Lebanon since 2 March. Israeli authorities have stated that 17 soldiers and one civilian have been killed in southern Lebanon, alongside two civilians in northern Israel.
