Lebanon airstrikes kill 11; civilians among dead

Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed at least 11 people, including three children and two women, the deadliest attacks since the US-brokered framework took effect two months ago. One strike hit a home in the village of Ansar and another struck Deir al-Zahrani, with strikes also hitting the Ali Taher ridge as Israel said it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in retaliation for attacks on Israeli forces. Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the raids as intimidation and urged an end to escalation. President Joseph Aoun called the strikes a clear message against the negotiations. Hezbollah said the attacks would be met with an appropriate response and criticized the peace talks as humiliating, potentially straining ongoing negotiations in Rome. The incidents come as tensions rise ahead of another round of US-sponsored talks and frame the violence within broader disputes over Hezbollah’s disarmament and Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon.