Lebanon Faces Deadly Israeli Airstrikes Despite Ceasefire

Lebanon is again facing deadly Israeli airstrikes despite an officially declared ceasefire, RT correspondent Ali Rida Sbeity has reported from the south of the country. The strikes on Thursday came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated plans to expand military operations in southern Lebanon and enlarge what Israel describes as a “security zone” along the border. Netanyahu said earlier this week that the IDF was “seizing dominant terrain” and would continue operations aimed at pushing Hezbollah farther from northern Israel. Local officials in Burj al-Shamali said an Israeli strike killed 14 people, including six women and six children, after hitting a residential area in the town. Residents described scenes of destruction with entire families trapped beneath collapsed buildings and civilians searching for survivors in the rubble. In a report released on Friday, RT’s correspondent traveled through the Tyre district of southern Lebanon documenting the aftermath of strikes. Witnesses described heavy damage to residential homes while drones and additional explosions were reportedly heard across nearby villages. “I only heard the sound of the impact. I screamed,” one survivor said, while recalling the strike in Burj al-Shamali. Another resident said relatives including teenage girls and elderly family members were killed when their home collapsed. Local officials described the attack as a “massacre” and linked it to previous Israeli military operations in the area dating back decades. In Maraki, residents told RT that rescuers pulled a young girl alive from the debris after an Israeli strike hit her family home. Witnesses said several members of the same family were killed or wounded. One resident said the surviving child was “in a state of shock” and “wasn’t even crying.” Israel maintains that its operations in Lebanon are aimed at Hezbollah targets. However, clashes have persisted despite ceasefire arrangements, with humanitarian groups warning of a mounting civilian toll. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, more than 3,269 people have been killed and over 9,800 injured since the conflict escalated on March 2. The Israeli campaign against Hezbollah began days after the US-Israeli strikes on Iran.