Overview
- Israeli warplanes struck villages in southern Lebanon in the early hours of Monday, killing at least 11 to 12 people including children and paramedics and wounding others as rescue teams searched rubble.
- The Israel Defense Forces said the raids were retaliation for two explosive drones launched at Israeli troops and that targets included Hezbollah operatives, weapons storage and a command post inside a former hospital.
- Some attacks were preceded by online evacuation warnings while others were not, and Lebanese officials say strikes destroyed a hospital building and damaged government offices.
- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the strikes and called on the United States and the international community to intervene to halt the attacks and protect state and medical facilities.
- The violence threatens the durability of the U.S.-brokered June arrangements that aimed to reduce fighting, and officials warn the uptick could prompt further escalation and complicate efforts to withdraw Israeli forces and deploy the Lebanese army.