Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon have caused another heavy civilian death toll, raising further questions over the real viability of the ceasefire announced in June. According to Lebanese health authorities, the victims include six children.
The death toll rises in Kfar Ruman
Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that at least 13 people were killed in Israeli bombing in the southern town of Kfar Ruman, in one of the deadliest episodes of recent weeks.
According to the same official account, the dead include six children and three women. Lebanese state media earlier reported that the strike took place after midnight.
Strike on residential areas and no warning
A relative of the victims said a residential complex was hit as children were getting ready to go to school. Reuters journalists at the scene saw schoolbooks among the rubble of the collapsed building.
According to reports, the Israeli military had not issued an evacuation warning before the strike on Kfar Ruman. That detail further increases the civilian cost of the operation.
Accounts clash: civilians under the rubble, Israel speaks of armed individuals
Rescue teams worked for hours with heavy machinery to pull bodies from the rubble, while searches continued for other people.
For its part, the Israeli military said it had struck people carrying weapons in the town and said it was investigating reports that “innocent people” may also have been hit in the attack.
Tensions rise despite the ceasefire
The strikes of recent days have heightened fears of a new Israeli military campaign in Lebanon, although a ceasefire had been agreed in June between the Israeli military and Hezbollah.
According to the Israeli military, Hezbollah launched two armed drones overnight toward soldiers near the Ali al-Taher ridge in southeastern Lebanon. Last week, Israel claimed it had “cleared” that area of Hezbollah fighters, while the group has not commented on those claims.
Another deadly strike
Lebanon’s Health Ministry also reported that in another attack, an Israeli drone struck a car, killing a medical aide and wounding two other people.
Among the most harrowing stories reported from the area is that of 8-year-old Mustafa Farhat, who, according to residents, lost his mother and grandparents. His father was still missing, while the child was in hospital with injuries.
The incident once again highlights how fragile the reality remains on Lebanon’s southern border, where military statements and the facts on the ground continue to present different pictures.
When the victims are children and strikes hit residential areas without warning, claims of armed targets remain under intense public and international scrutiny.