Nine Killed as Israeli Strikes Intensify Over Southern Lebanon

Sun Sep 06 2026 08:41:20 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A series of air raids claimed nine civilian lives in southern Lebanon, marking a new surge in hostilities that clashes with the recent ceasefire framework.

Israeli forces launched a sudden strike on 4 pm local time near Ansar, killing seven people in a house that housed displaced families. Later that day, another bombing hit Deir al‑Zahrani, killing two more and wounding nine. The attacks have been described as a retaliatory response to an earlier incident involving Israeli soldiers, but they breached the June ceasefire agreement that called for a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese territory. Lebanon’s prime minister condemned the violence as an unacceptable escalation, insisting the civilians who died were not military targets. Ongoing negotiations are set to resume in September, but the current rounds of violence underscore the fragile status quo in the region.

Nine Killed as Israeli Strikes Intensify Over Southern Lebanon

An emergency worker looks through rubble in the aftermath of an airstrike on Ansar

Israel released a statement that its forces had struck the “Hezbollah terror infrastructure” in southern Lebanon, citing a prior incident involving Israeli soldiers as the trigger for the operations. The first raid, conducted around 4:30 am local time, hit a house on the outskirts of the town of Ansar in the Nabatieh district; seven civilians were killed, including three children and two women, according to the country’s state media. The building reportedly housed a number of displaced families.

The damage was punctuated by the sight of thick smoke and the sound of sirens roaming the streets of Ansar. Later the same day, a second assault targeted Deir al‑Zahrani, killing two civilians and wounding nine others, as confirmed by the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the attacks and specifically denounced the targeting of civilians as a violation of the ceasefire framework announced in June. He urged Israel to halt the escalation, emphasizing the right of Lebanese citizens to life on their own land and stressing that such military actions are not matters open for negotiation.

The Israeli Defence Forces added that the operations took place on the Ali al‑Taher Ridge, a strategically important elevation that overlooks much of south‑eastern Lebanon. National News Agency reports mention a series of strikes around the ridge, as well as the demolition of several homes in the nearby town of Bint Jbeil, where Israeli forces reportedly used heavy machine gun fire against residential properties.

Lebanon was drawn into the broader Israel‑Iran‑US conflict after Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel on 2 March, following the death of Iran’s supreme leader. In response, Israel intensified bombing campaigns and occupied a significant portion of Lebanon’s southern territory, continuing to control approximately five percent of the country.

The June ceasefire framework requested Hezbollah to disarm, Israeli forces to withdraw gradually, and the Lebanese army to deploy in the area. The region has seen continued demolitions and demolishing fire, even as the Lebanese president condemned the strikes and highlighted the framework’s violations.

Conflict is likely to resume with new negotiations slated for September, though a specific date has not been set. Lebanon’s government and Hezbollah remain at odds over the framework, with the latter refusing direct talks.

Map of southern Lebanon showing towns and borders near Israel