Israeli airstrikes hit southern Lebanon, killing one and injuring seven amid a fragile truce

Israeli airstrikes struck the southern Lebanese village of Msayleh overnight into Saturday, killing one person and wounding seven, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

The strikes hit a site that sold heavy machinery and a passing delivery truck, setting vehicles ablaze and temporarily disrupting a key highway between Beirut and the south.

Israel’s military said the operation targeted heavy equipment it claims Hezbollah has been using to rebuild and fortify positions since last year’s war.

Local authorities identified the deceased as a Syrian national; the wounded include both Syrian and Lebanese residents. Lebanon’s presidency condemned the attack as “blatant aggression” against civilian infrastructure.

The incident comes despite a U.S.-brokered truce between Israel and Hezbollah that took effect in November 2024, after a 14-month border war. Cross-border incidents have persisted since, with the U.N. human rights chief recently urging all parties to uphold the ceasefire as civilian casualties mount.

Israel’s military said dozens to hundreds of construction vehicles linked to Hezbollah’s engineering network were destroyed in recent raids, arguing that such equipment facilitates reconstruction of military infrastructure. Lebanese officials rejected those claims, saying the Msayleh site was a commercial facility and warning that renewed strikes risk reigniting a broader conflict.

Saturday’s casualties add to a steady toll recorded since the ceasefire, with rights groups and international agencies documenting continued Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and intermittent Hezbollah rocket or drone fire.

Diplomatic efforts are focused on preventing escalation while mediators work to stabilize the Gaza ceasefire and reduce tensions along the Israel-Lebanon frontier.

Sources Associated Press, Al Jazeera, Times of Israel, Reuters, Times of India