Israeli strikes hit Lebanon hours after drone attack injures students

Jerusalem: Israel carried out a new series of airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, targeting areas it described as Hezbollah infrastructure. The attacks followed an earlier drone strike that killed one person and wounded several others, including students travelling on a school bus. The escalation comes as tensions between Israel and armed groups in Lebanon continue to intensify.

The Israeli military had issued a warning on Wednesday afternoon urging residents of several southern villages to move away from locations designated for incoming strikes. More than an hour after the evacuation call, airstrikes hit the villages of Shehour and Deir Kifa. Lebanese authorities did not immediately report casualties.

Earlier in the day, an Israeli strike on a vehicle in the village of Tiri killed one person and injured 11 others, including students who happened to be passing nearby on a school bus. The Lebanese Health Ministry and state media confirmed the injuries, noting that both the bus driver and multiple students were among those wounded. Israel later said the drone strike targeted and killed a Hezbollah operative.

The latest attacks come a day after an Israeli airstrike killed 13 people inside the Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, marking the deadliest incident in the camp since a ceasefire ended the previous Israel-Hezbollah war a year ago. In Sidon, paramedics searched the area for remains near a bloodstained wall, while burned vehicles and debris indicated the force of the explosion. Lebanese authorities restricted media access to the camp.

Israel said it targeted a Hamas training compound that it claimed was being used to prepare attacks. Hamas rejected the accusation and stated that the area hit was a sports playground, not a military site.

Lebanon’s Palestinian factions began turning over weapons earlier this year under a state-led initiative, and the Lebanese government has said it intends to work on disarming Hezbollah as well. However, Hezbollah maintains it will not disarm while Israel continues to occupy disputed border areas and conduct regular strikes.

The United States has recently increased pressure on Lebanon to address Hezbollah’s arsenal and cancelled a planned visit to Washington by Lebanese army commander Gen Rudolph Haikal. A senior Lebanese army officer told the Associated Press that US officials were angered by an army statement that blamed Israel for destabilising Lebanon and obstructing military deployment in the south.

The current Israel-Hezbollah conflict began on 8 October 2023, a day after the Hamas attacks in southern Israel, when Hezbollah launched rockets in support of Hamas. Israel’s large-scale bombardment of Lebanon began two months ago, followed by a ground incursion. According to the World Bank, more than 4,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians, and damage is estimated at around USD 11 billion. In Israel, 127 people have been killed, including 80 soldiers.