4 killed as Israel strikes deep into south Lebanon

Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon have resulted in the deaths of four individuals, including a paramedic and a woman, as confirmed by Hezbollah and associated rescue teams. In response, Hezbollah claimed to have launched dozens of rockets at Israel.

Since Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, which sparked the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, has engaged in frequent cross-border exchanges with Israel.

The Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee informed AFP that an Israeli drone strike targeted an ambulance in the border town of Naqoura, resulting in the death of one rescuer and injuries to another. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) also reported the drone strike on the ambulance, noting casualties.

Later, the operations room reported to AFP that an Israeli strike on the town of Adloun, near Sidon in southern Lebanon, killed a woman and injured four others. The NNA stated that a drone strike in Adloun completely destroyed a house.

The Israeli military issued a statement saying that fighter jets targeted a military structure in Naqoura, where militant activity was detected. Additionally, a militant in the Yaroun area was struck, and a drone from Lebanon was intercepted.

In retaliation for the Naqoura attack, Hezbollah claimed to have fired dozens of Katyusha rockets at northern Israel and conducted other attacks with drones and heavy-duty missiles. The group also announced that two of its fighters had been killed but did not specify the locations.

A source close to Hezbollah mentioned that one person was killed in Ain Qana, a location deep in southern Lebanon.

Imran Riza, the U.N.’s humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon, expressed his concern on X, stating he was “deeply disturbed to hear that an ambulance was targeted” and noting that 20 health workers have been killed since October 8.

Over the past seven months of cross-border violence, nearly 450 people have been killed in Lebanon, mostly militants but also more than 80 civilians, according to an AFP tally. Among the casualties are ten rescuers from the Islamic Health Committee. On the Israeli side, 14 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed.

In a televised address, Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned that Hezbollah fighters had the capability to infiltrate northern Israel but had refrained from doing so.