Israeli air strikes on Lebanon kill seven amid fragile truce

This is the highest single-day death toll since the November ceasefire

Damage caused to a building following an Israeli air strike that attacked a neighbourhood in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on March 22, 2025. AFP

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Israeli air strikes on Lebanon killed at least seven people on Saturday, including one child, in the most significant violation of the fragile truce.

At least 40 others, including five children, were injured, Lebanon's Ministry of Health said. This marked one of the highest single-day casualty tolls from Israeli air strikes since a fragile ceasefire was agreed in November between Hezbollah and Israel, ending 14 months of conflict, including two months of full-scale war.

The two waves of Israeli air strikes, which attacked several towns in southern Lebanon and in the eastern part of the country, were the biggest escalation since the end of the war, threatening an already shaky truce. The Israeli army said it struck Hezbollah "command centres, infrastructure sites, terrorists, rocket launchers and a weapons storage facility in Lebanon", adding that it would continue to strike targets "as required" to protect Israeli civilians.

At least five people, including a young girl, were killed and 11 others, including two children, were injured in air strikes in Touline. One person was killed in Tyre and Qlaileh. Injuries were reported in other southern areas.

The Israeli air strikes were in retaliation for three missiles launched into northern Israel from Lebanon by unspecified groups, marking the second cross-border launch since the truce. The Israeli military said that air defences intercepted the rockets and that there were no reports of injuries or damage.

Hezbollah said it was not responsible for the missile attack. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. The Iran-backed group also announced the death of two of its fighters in the air strikes.

On Sunday, an Israeli drone attacked a car in a southern Lebanese town of Aita Al Shaab near the Israeli border and causing an unspecified number of casualties, state media reported.

Israel has carried out repeated air strikes during the ceasefire, attacking what it said were Hezbollah military sites that violated the agreement.

The recent flare-up of violence came just days into Israel's renewed offensive in Gaza on Tuesday, which shattered the relative calm in the territory since a January 19 ceasefire.

At least 18 Palestinians were killed in Gaza in overnight Israeli air strikes, according to Palestinian media, which also reported that Hamas political leader Salah Al Bardaweel and his wife had been killed in Khan Younis.