An elderly woman lost her life in an Israeli airstrike targeting Maroun al-Ras

Early Thursday morning in a southern Lebanese village, Israeli strikes resulted in the death of an elderly woman, as reported by Lebanese state media. The frontier between Lebanon and Israel has experienced frequent hostilities, primarily involving the Israeli army and Hezbollah, since the Gaza Strip conflict began on October 7.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that the airstrike on Maroun al-Ras led to the death of the elderly woman and injured her husband. The strike, which involved Israeli artillery shells, targeted residential areas in the town, including the home of the elderly couple.

Rescuers, who transported the couple to the hospital, confirmed the woman’s death to AFP and attributed it to the Israeli strike.

Additional areas, including Yaroun, Aita al-Shaab, Aitaroun, and Kfarkila, were also targeted by Israeli army bombings.

In response to Israeli attacks on civilians, Hezbollah had previously declared that such actions would be met with retaliation. Early Thursday, the group claimed it launched attacks, including incendiary rockets, on forested regions in northern Israel as retribution for Israeli strikes on Lebanese woods. Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes deep within Lebanon on Wednesday evening, targeting a forested area near Bouslaya, over 20 kilometers from the border.

Rights organizations and Lebanese officials have accused Israel of using white phosphorus in their attacks – a substance that can cause severe burns.

According to an AFP report, over 140 people in Lebanon have been killed by Israeli strikes, including mostly Hezbollah fighters, a Lebanese soldier, and 19 civilians, among them three journalists. On the Israeli side, the death toll includes four civilians and seven soldiers.

The ongoing conflict has heightened concerns about a potential regional war.

In an effort to ease border tensions, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna visited senior officials in Beirut on Monday, following her visits to Israel and the occupied West Bank.

The war in Gaza, which began with a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, has seen a fierce Israeli ground and air response, resulting in the deaths of at least 20,000 people in Gaza, predominantly women and children. Hezbollah states its actions are in support of Gaza.