Lebanon's health ministry reported that Israeli strikes on the country's south killed 14 people on Sunday, marking the deadliest day since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into force over a week ago. The ministry stated that the dead included two women and two children, with 37 others wounded. Israel confirmed that one of its soldiers was also killed.
The US-mediated ceasefire, which started on 16 April and has been extended to mid-May, has brought a significant reduction in hostilities, though both sides have continued to exchange fire, each blaming the other for breaches.
Netanyahu Accuses Hezbollah of Violations
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting on Sunday, "Hezbollah's violations are, in practice, dismantling the ceasefire." He added, "We act vigorously according to the rules we agreed upon with the United States, and also, by the way, with Lebanon."
Hezbollah responded by stating it would not cease its attacks on Israeli troops inside Lebanon and on towns in northern Israel as long as Israel continued its "ceasefire violations." The Iran-backed group said in a statement that it would not wait for diplomacy that has "proven ineffective" or rely on Lebanese authorities that had "failed to protect the country."
Israeli Military Operations and Warnings
Israeli troops are operating inside what they have labelled a "yellow line," demarcating a ribbon of Lebanese territory around 10km deep along the border, where residents have been warned not to return. On Sunday, the Israeli military repeated the warning, telling residents to leave seven towns beyond the "buffer zone" it occupied before the ceasefire. A spokesperson for the Israeli military said Hezbollah was violating the ceasefire and that Israel would act against it, urging people to head north and west away from the towns. The towns are north of the Litani River and the zone in southern Lebanon occupied by Israeli troops. The military reported that it struck Hezbollah fighters, rocket launchers, and a weapons depot.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli strikes in multiple locations in the south on Sunday, both in areas where Israel issued an evacuation warning and elsewhere.
Hezbollah Attacks and Casualties
Earlier on Sunday, Hezbollah said it had attacked Israeli troops inside Lebanon as well as the rescue force that came to evacuate them. The Israeli military confirmed one soldier was killed and six more were wounded. It also reported intercepting three drones before they crossed into Israeli territory on Sunday, after sirens sounded in northern Israel.
Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on 2 March by firing rockets at Israel to avenge the death of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes. Since then, more than 2,500 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, including 277 women, 177 children, and 100 medics, according to Lebanon's health ministry. The ministry does not otherwise distinguish between militants and civilians, and Hezbollah has not announced a total toll of its fighters. The group has buried dozens of fighters in group funerals in recent days.
Hezbollah attacks have killed two civilians in Israel, while 16 Israeli soldiers have died in Lebanon since 2 March, according to Israel.
