August 16, 2026 | 07:06 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - At least 11 people were killed when Israel launched fresh airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday, the deadliest since the Israel-Hezbollah truce nearly two months ago.
The attacks were met with defiance by the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which demanded an end to "humiliating" peace negotiations with Israel.
What do we know?
The Lebanese Health Ministry said one of the strikes, on the edge of the village of Ansar, killed seven people and wounded two.
The dead included three children and two women, according to the ministry.
The strike, which happened at dawn, hit a house and destroyed it, according to NNA, the Lebanese state news agency.
Germany's DPA news agency cited residents as saying the property served as a base for Hezbollah.
The second strike hit the village of Deir al-Zahrani, killing four and wounding 17.
NNA reported other strikes around the strategic Ali Taher hill, which overlooks parts of the southern city of Nabatiyeh and key roads to it.
The Israeli military confirmed hitting Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, saying it was retaliation for an attack by the militia on Israeli forces.
Hezbollah vows revenge
Later Saturday, Hezbollah hit back at the latest strikes, saying they would be met with an "appropriate" response.
Israel "must clearly understand that its attacks, violations and attempts to impose a fait accompli cannot continue, and will be met with an appropriate response", the Iran-backed group said in a statement.
Hezbollah warned Lebanese authorities against continuing its "humiliating" negotiations with Israel, which would provide "the enemy with free concessions."
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam denounced the strikes, calling on Israel to "halt this escalation."
"The seven martyrs of the Israeli airstrike on the town of Ansar are not military infrastructure and the children and women killed were not military targets,” he wrote on X.
Ceasefire struggles to stick
The Israel–Hezbollah war reignited in early March around the start of the Iran war, when Hezbollah launched attacks on northern Israel to avenge the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
It rapidly became a full-scale conflict that involved Israeli ground operations in southern Lebanon, mass evacuations of residents and the deaths of over 4,300 people.
Israel claims to have established the so-called security zone in southern Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel.
According to Lebanese media, the Israeli-controlled area covers approximately 620 square kilometres, or about 6% of the country's total area.
Israel and Hezbollah have repeatedly accused each other of ceasefire violations following the announcement of a framework peace agreement in late June,
The deal lays out a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon, in return for Hezbollah laying down arms. It also envisions steps toward eventual peace.
The two sides have held seven rounds of talks; the most recent in Rome earlier this month.
Hezbollah refused direct talks, wasn't party to the deal and has refused to disarm.
Read: Israel Hits Lebanon, Claims 'Blatant' Hezbollah Truce Breach
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