Beirut, May 29:
The Israeli military launched heavy strikes across southern Lebanon early Thursday, killing at least 14 people as tensions escalated ahead of key security talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials in Washington.
The attacks targeted several areas in southern Lebanon, including the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon, and came amid intensified fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah group.
According to the Lebanese Health Ministry and the state-run National News Agency, those killed included five women and children as well as a Lebanese soldier.
Dozens of others were injured in the strikes. In northern Israel, the Israeli military said one of its soldiers was killed and two reservists were wounded in a Hezbollah drone attack.
The latest escalation followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that Israel would expand military operations in Lebanon.
The move appeared to be in response to Hezbollah’s increased use of fibre-optic exploding drones, which have targeted Israeli troops and reached some northern Israeli towns near the border.
Ahead of the strikes, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee warned residents to evacuate eight buildings and surrounding areas in Tyre.
In Sidon, an Israeli drone strike hit an apartment building sheltering displaced families, killing five people and wounding 21 others, including children.
Among the dead was Hossan Zeidan, a former correspondent for Iran’s Arabic-language al-Aalam television.
Another strike in the town of Adloun hit a car carrying a fleeing family, killing six people, including two children and their parents.
Near Nabatiyeh, a Lebanese soldier was killed when an Israeli drone struck his motorcycle.
Despite ongoing hostilities, Lebanese and Israeli military officials are expected to hold their first direct security talks in Washington on Friday.
The talks are aimed at preserving a ceasefire that took effect on April 17, though violence has continued to intensify.
Hezbollah has rejected the negotiations and backed Iran’s position linking any settlement in Lebanon to broader talks with Washington.
The conflict has displaced more than one million people in Lebanon.
Since the war began, at least 3,269 people have been killed and over 9,800 wounded in Israeli strikes, according to Lebanese authorities.