Israeli Strike Kills Six in Southern Lebanon Village

An Israeli airstrike hit a house in southern Lebanon on Friday, killing six people, Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said.

The strike targeted the village of Deir Qanoun en-Nahr, near the coastal city of Tyre, amid ongoing Israeli operations against Hezbollah.

Lebanese authorities reported that the dead included civilians, though exact identities were not immediately released.

The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah targets in the area.

“IDF forces continue to operate against Hezbollah terrorists and military infrastructure in southern Lebanon to prevent the Iran-backed group from launching attacks into Israeli territory,” an Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement.

Hezbollah, which has fired thousands of rockets and drones at Israel since the war in Gaza erupted in October 2023, has used villages across southern Lebanon as launch sites and staging grounds.

The group has not immediately commented on Friday’s strike.

Fighting along the Lebanon-Israel border has intensified over the past year, displacing more than 90,000 people on the Lebanese side and tens of thousands in northern Israel.

The violence has killed hundreds of Lebanese civilians, fighters and Israeli soldiers.

The latest strike occurred as U.S. and European diplomats intensified efforts to broker a ceasefire.

U.S. officials have pressed for an agreement that would see Hezbollah withdraw its forces north of the Litani River in exchange for an end to Israeli operations.

“Hezbollah’s entrenched military presence in southern Lebanon remains the core threat Israel seeks to dismantle,” the Israeli statement added.

Lebanon’s health ministry has recorded more than 3,000 deaths since the border fighting escalated, the majority linked to Israeli strikes.

The incident underscores the fragile balance as both sides maneuver between military pressure and diplomatic talks aimed at preventing a wider regional war.