Nine Syrian refugees from the same family, including six children, were killed on Saturday in an Israeli airstrike that hit a residential house in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities.
The Lebanese state news agency NNA reported that Israeli warplanes struck a home inhabited by civilians in the town of Adloun, located near the southern city of Sidon (Saida), reports Anadolu.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said the bodies recovered from the rubble belonged to the same family. Israel has continued its attacks on Lebanon despite a ceasefire that took effect on 17 April, which was extended for 45 days from 17 May following indirect talks mediated by the United States.
Israeli forces have advanced beyond the Litani River in southern Lebanon for the first time since 2006 and appear to be positioning themselves to encircle the major city of Nabatieh, marking a significant escalation in the conflict despite ongoing ceasefire efforts.
Senior Lebanese military sources told Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency on Saturday that Israeli troops had crossed the Litani River, which Israel has designated as the boundary of its unofficial buffer zone, reports Al Jazeera.
Israeli soldiers are now operating on the outskirts of Nabatieh, one of southern Lebanon’s largest cities, regarded as a key economic centre and cultural hub. The predominantly Shia city is widely viewed as a symbol of resistance because of its historic role on the front line of Israeli military campaigns.
If Nabatieh falls under Israeli control, it would represent a major development in Israel’s war on Lebanon and the subsequent official ceasefire.
Reporting from the southern city of Tyre, Al Jazeera correspondent Obaida Hitto said Israel was broadening its air offensive in southern Lebanon while surrounding Nabatieh ahead of a possible ground assault.
“It looks like Israel is trying to make this final push to encircle Nabatieh, breaking through the second and third lines of defence of Hezbollah and isolating the western Bekaa Valley from the south of the country,” Hitto said.
Lebanon’s military said in a statement that “two soldiers were seriously wounded as a result of being targeted inside a vehicle by a hostile Israeli drone” near Nabatieh.
Late on Saturday, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that at least one paramedic was killed and four others were injured in an Israeli drone strike on the southern village of Jebchit. The attack also damaged the Lebanese Relief Hospital, although all medical, nursing and ambulance personnel remained safe, the agency said.
Separately, Israeli air strikes and artillery shelling struck areas near Beaufort Castle, located about 15km from the Israeli border and overlooking much of southern Lebanon, according to NNA. Israeli forces occupied the 12th-century fortress for 18 years before withdrawing from Lebanon in May 2000.
In response, Hezbollah said it launched rockets towards the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona on Saturday.
The group also claimed it ambushed Israeli troops near Ghandouriyeh in southern Lebanon and forced them to retreat.
In separate statements issued later in the day, Hezbollah said it destroyed an Israeli military vehicle near the village of Yohmor al-Shaqif after targeting it with Ababil attack drones. The group also reported carrying out a drone strike on the Yaara barracks in northern Israel.
Hezbollah further said it conducted a drone attack on an Israeli army command headquarters in the southern Lebanese village of Naqoura and launched a missile barrage against Israeli military infrastructure in the northern Israeli city of Nahariyya.
‘Dangerous and unprecedented’ escalation
Israel has issued evacuation orders for at least 10 villages in southern Lebanon as it expands its military campaign despite continuing peace negotiations with Lebanese officials.
The Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, instructed residents of several villages to leave immediately, warning that those who remained could be killed.
Al Jazeera’s Hitto said displaced residents were running out of options as more than 20 per cent of Lebanon’s population — around 1.2 million people — had been forced from their homes by the fighting.
“Those options are turning into basically people living with relatives if they have that option, or people living in makeshift camps in public parks and public spaces. I’ve seen many families living in their vehicles for long periods of time,” Hitto said.
“Some of these families have been continuously displaced since 2023,” Hitto added.
The evacuation order came a day after Israeli and Lebanese officials met in Washington to discuss a permanent end to the conflict, which began in early March when the Iran-backed Hezbollah started attacking Israel following the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
On Saturday, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned what he described as Israel’s “dangerous and unprecedented” escalation in the south. He called for an immediate ceasefire and argued that a “scorched-earth policy” would not guarantee Israel’s security.
In a televised address, Salam also defended his government’s direct negotiations with Israel, saying the talks were the “least costly path” for Lebanon.
Earlier on Saturday, Salam met President Joseph Aoun to review the security situation and ongoing negotiations with Israel. According to NNA, the two leaders agreed to intensify efforts aimed at ending the war, which has triggered a humanitarian crisis.
Aoun also held a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and stressed the need for Israel to respect the current ceasefire.
The United States is facilitating talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials, with another round of negotiations expected to take place in Washington next week.
However, Israel’s continued attacks and evacuation orders have placed further strain on the nominal ceasefire that has been in place since mid-April and has repeatedly been violated by Israeli forces. Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah as part of efforts to disarm the group.
Lebanese authorities continue to work towards disarming Hezbollah, although officials acknowledge that the process remains highly challenging.
Meanwhile, Israeli air raids in southern Lebanon killed at least 14 people on Friday.
