A man inspects a house targeted overnight by an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Dounine. AFP
In a statement, the Iranian foreign ministry called on "the United Nations, the international community, and regional countries to confront the warmongering" of Israel, while offering "condolences on the martyrdom of Lebanese citizens during the savage attacks."
Israel said Thursday it had targeted a series of sites in southern Lebanon, claiming they belonged to the Hezbollah resistance movement. Tel Aviv has routinely issued such statements following strikes on civilian areas to justify its actions.
Israel signed a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon in November 2024, aimed at ending more than a year of hostilities that culminated in an Israeli invasion — the sixth such invasion of Lebanon since 1978. The war last year saw Israel carry out relentless bombardments across Lebanon, killing 2,720 Lebanese.
Under the ceasefire, Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw from Lebanon by 26 January 2025.
However, Israel failed to meet the deadline, prompting a new withdrawal deadline of 18 February 2025. Even then, Israel did not fully withdraw, pulling back troops from Lebanese villages but maintaining the occupation of five outposts in the highlands of southern Lebanon.
At the same time, Israel has continued its strikes on Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire. According to Lebanon’s health ministry, more than 270 people have been killed and around 850 wounded by Israeli military attacks since the ceasefire took effect.
One person was reported killed in Thursday’s bombardments, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
Tehran, a key ally of Hezbollah, was also targeted in Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear sites during a 12-day war initiated by Israel in June.
Israeli attacks, which included strikes on residential areas, killed at least 1,000 Iranians, many of them civilians.
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