Israel Launches Another Airstrike on Southern Lebanon, Killing at Least 12, Including Children

▲ Smoke rises over the village of Arab Salim in southern Lebanon following an Israeli airstrike.

Amid the standoff between the United States and Iran, casualties are surging on the Lebanese front as the frequency of Israeli airstrikes increases in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health on the 7th local time, the Israeli Air Force launched two airstrikes on the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Rumman early this morning, killing at least 12 people and leaving many others injured.

The first airstrike hit a residential building, killing 11 people at the scene, including two children and four women.

Eight others, including three children and one rescue worker, sustained serious to minor injuries.

A second airstrike, targeting a vehicle in the village, subsequently killed a rescue worker who was responding to the scene.

A day earlier, Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon also killed at least 7 people and completely destroyed an empty hospital.

As intermittent armed clashes between the United States and Iran recently resumed, the risk of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, Iran's key proxy force, is also escalating.

In June, a framework agreement based on a ceasefire was reached between Israel and the Lebanese government through U.S. mediation. However, Hezbollah has refused to disarm on the grounds that it was not a party to the framework agreement, while Israel continues its airstrikes, maintaining that it cannot withdraw without complete disarmament.

The Israeli military claimed that the latest airstrikes were a justified retaliation for two Hezbollah drone attacks targeting its soldiers.

Military tensions have further heightened following a massive wave of bombings, which came right after the Israeli military declared a few days ago that it had taken operational control of the Ali al-Taher hill, a strategic gateway leading to the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)

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