Seven killed in Israeli strike on southern Lebanon, country's PM says

What the report says

Seven people were killed in an Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s prime minister and state media cited by BBC World News. The attack hit a house on the outskirts of Ansar, in the Nabatieh district, at about 04:30 local time, where displaced families were reportedly staying. Lebanese state media said the dead included three children and two women.

Israel’s military said it struck what it described as Hezbollah infrastructure, saying the operation was carried out in response to an earlier incident involving its soldiers. The BBC reported that the strike was part of a wider overnight escalation across southern Lebanon, with additional strikes later hitting Deir al Zahrani, where Lebanon’s health ministry said two people were killed and nine others injured.

The killings drew condemnation from Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who said civilians had been targeted and called for the violence to stop. President Joseph Aoun also denounced what he described as repeated violations of the ceasefire framework agreed in June. That framework was intended to reduce hostilities by setting out steps including Hezbollah’s disarmament, an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and a Lebanese army deployment in the area.

The reported strike comes amid continued friction despite the June agreement, with Israeli and Hezbollah forces still trading accusations and periodic attacks. It also follows months of damage and displacement in southern Lebanon, where the conflict has left border areas under heavy strain.