Eleven people have been killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, authorities say, on one of the deadliest days of attacks since a ceasefire framework was introduced in June.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced that seven people died in a strike on a house near Ansar, 70 km south of Beirut, with state media reporting three children and two women among the dead. The Lebanese ministry of health later confirmed that another strike on Deir al‑Zahrani killed four and wounded five.
Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said the first strike was aimed at a Hezbollah commander, Ali Samir al‑Haj Hassan, citing an attack on Israeli soldiers as the trigger. The IDF added that the commander’s family was present and “harmed” because he had used them as human shields.
The IDF’s statement was echoed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, which defended the attack as a response to Hezbollah’s offensive that had injured Israeli soldiers. Hezbollah denied the claims, accusing Israel of exploiting civilian casualties to justify its actions.
The incident has reignited criticism of Israel’s continued presence in roughly 5 % of Lebanese territory and the persistence of violence despite the June ceasefire, which called for the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces, and deployment of the Lebanese army across the area.
International observers note that the region remains a tinderbox, with the US and Iran backing opposing sides. Negotiations will resume in September, but no fixed date has been set for further talks.
Source: BBC News, 15 August 2026 – Beirut
