Israel carried out more than 120 air strikes across Lebanon on Tuesday, Lebanese security sources said, marking one of the heaviest days of bombing in weeks and further straining the April 16 ceasefire with Hezbollah.
Lebanese security sources said Israeli strikes targeted several areas across southern and eastern Lebanon on Tuesday.
The bombing came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his military was expanding and deepening its operations inside Lebanon.
The raids placed further pressure on a ceasefire announced on April 16, which was intended to halt fighting between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
Casualties reported in recent attacks
Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes in recent hours killed 31 people and wounded 40, according to the state news agency NNA early Wednesday.
The ministry said 14 people were killed in Burj al-Shamali, a town in southern Lebanon. The dead included two children and three women.
Projectile from Lebanon lands in Israel
The Israeli military said on Wednesday that a projectile launched from Lebanon fell in an open area inside Israel. Sirens had sounded in several northern areas, but no injuries were reported.
Some Israeli strikes hit near Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon. The nearly 900-year-old fortress has been described by UNESCO as one of the best-preserved examples of medieval castles in the region.
Lebanon’s National News Agency also reported that at least three strikes hit near the Qaraoun Dam in eastern Lebanon, the country’s largest water reservoir.
Netanyahu says Israel controlling areas
In a statement on Tuesday, Netanyahu said the Israeli military “is operating with large forces in the field and capturing and controlling areas". He said Israel was fortifying a security strip to protect northern communities.
The statement referred to a self-declared security zone occupied by Israeli troops several kilometres inside southern Lebanon.
Two sources said on Tuesday that the Israeli military had expanded ground operations in southern Lebanon beyond the security zone. They did not provide further details on how far the advance had moved beyond the so-called Yellow Line.
The Yellow Line is separate from the UN-demarcated Blue Line, which marks the frontier between Lebanon and Israel following Israel’s withdrawal in 2000.
It forms part of a proposed buffer zone extending 5 to 10 kilometres, or around 3 to 6 miles, into southern Lebanon.
Villagers warned not to return
Israel’s military has ordered residents not to return to dozens of villages inside the zone. Israeli troops have also been destroying homes in the area.
An Israeli military official said the army was operating in a targeted manner beyond the Forward Defense Line to remove direct threats to Israeli citizens and soldiers.
The official said the operations were being carried out in line with instructions from the political leadership.
Hezbollah targets Israeli forces and tanks
Hezbollah said on Tuesday that it had targeted Israeli forces and tanks advancing towards the southern Lebanese town of Zawtar al-Sharqiya. The group said it used explosive drones, rockets and artillery in the attacks.
Netanyahu had said on Monday that Israel would intensify strikes against Hezbollah.
A US official also said the Iran-backed group had ignored warnings to halt attacks that risked undermining negotiations to end the US-Israeli war on Iran.
The escalation in Lebanon came as Iran said the United States had violated a separate truce by striking southern Iran. The developments have added to wider regional tensions, with Lebanon’s fragile ceasefire increasingly under pressure.
Death toll continues to rise
Lebanon’s health ministry said the cumulative toll from Israel’s offensive since March 2 had reached 3,213 dead and 9,737 wounded as of May 26.
The offensive began after Hezbollah fired projectiles into Israel in response to the start of the Iran war. The Israeli military said 10 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the April 16 ceasefire, including six by Hezbollah’s explosive drones.
The World Health Organization has said at least 608 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli attacks since the truce.
Hezbollah has not released figures for its own casualties.
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