Israeli Strikes on Southern Lebanon Kill at Least 20
Al Jazeera Staff
Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 20 people, including a civil defense worker, despite an ongoing ceasefire with Hezbollah. Rescue efforts continue, and new evacuation orders have been issued amid escalating violence.
Lebanon's Health Ministry said an Israeli airstrike on the town of Toura in the Tyre district on Friday killed four people, including two women, and wounded eight others. Rescue operations are ongoing to search for a missing girl under the rubble, according to the National News Agency (NNA).
According to the NNA, Lebanese Red Cross rescue teams recovered the bodies of two young men who had been missing since Israeli airstrikes on Thursday targeting the town of Blat in the Marjayoun district. The attacks on Friday also spread to the Nabatieh, Bint Jbeil, and Sidon districts, killing several people in multiple towns and villages.
An Israeli drone also targeted a car on the road between Kfarchuba and Kfarhamam in the Hasbaya district, killing a civil defense worker, according to the Lebanese Civil Defense.
Avichay Adraee, the Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli military, said residents of the towns and villages of Nmairiyeh, Tayr Felsay, Hallousiyyeh, Upper Hallousiyyeh, Toura, and Maarakeh were ordered to evacuate, as Israel issued new forced evacuation orders in southern Lebanon.
Clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli army continue despite a ceasefire that took effect on April 17, with Israel maintaining control over border areas. The Israeli army said a drone launched by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon wounded two Israeli soldiers, one seriously. Another drone attack wounded a soldier in an area occupied by Israel in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah said it carried out a series of attacks over the past 24 hours targeting Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, describing them as a response to Israeli violations of the ceasefire. Hezbollah fired rockets at a military base in northern Israel, targeted a military vehicle in the town of Deir Siryan, and targeted Israeli soldiers on the road leading to Adshit al-Qusayr.
Al Jazeera's Obaida Hitto, reporting from Tyre, said military activity appeared to have escalated over the past 12 hours. “We have seen airstrikes and shelling throughout the day along the coast. This is a significant escalation compared to the past few days,” he said.
Lebanon's Health Ministry said the total death toll since the conflict began on March 2 has risen to 2,759, with 8,512 wounded.
A second round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon is scheduled for May 14-15 in Washington. The first round in mid-April led to a US-brokered ceasefire. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with veteran diplomat Simon Karam, who will lead the delegation to Washington. In a statement, Aoun said the two sides discussed “preparations for the meeting scheduled for next Thursday in Washington between the Lebanese delegation, the United States, and Israel.”
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Beirut wants to “consolidate” the ceasefire before the next round of talks. “We will raise the issue of stopping attacks, releasing prisoners, and establishing a withdrawal timetable in the negotiations, allowing refugees to return and reconstruction to take place,” Salam told Al Jazeera, adding that the government views the talks as an opportunity to end “the state of conflict between Lebanon and Israel.” He also affirmed that Lebanon “is seeking guarantees from the United States to restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” and that the government will be the “sole negotiator on behalf of the country.” Salam said the government remains “committed to restricting weapons only to the state” — a statement reflecting Hezbollah's military strength.
Lebanese citizens and politicians remain deeply divided over negotiations with Israel. Hezbollah and its supporters oppose direct talks, preferring indirect ones, while the Lebanese government faces pressure from the US and Israel to participate in direct negotiations. Pressure to forcibly disarm Hezbollah is increasing internal tensions in a country that ended a 15-year civil war in 1990. Hezbollah is trying to regain the leverage it lost in November 2024, after Israel inflicted heavy losses and killed its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
