Israeli strikes kill 11 in Lebanon two months into truce

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 11 people in southern Lebanon on August 15, including three children and two women. The strikes hit the Ansar and Deir al-Zahrani regions, making it one of the deadliest single incidents since the US-brokered ceasefire with Hezbollah went into effect on June 19. Lebanese officials condemned the strikes as violations of both the truce and international law, while Israel’s military framed them as a targeted response to a prior Hezbollah attack. What happened and why Israel says it struck The Israeli Defense Forces said the operation was retaliatory. A Hezbollah attack in the Ali Taher Ridge area had injured three Israeli soldiers, and the IDF claimed its strikes specifically targeted Hezbollah infrastructure and a senior commander named Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the latest strikes directly, calling them violations of international law. The response from Hezbollah was similarly sharp, with the group signaling potential retaliation and criticizing the broader diplomatic process that underpins the ceasefire. The ceasefire’s shaky foundations The June 19 agreement was the product of intense US-mediated diplom...