Israel launches wave of deadly strikes near Beirut, kills woman and two children amid truce violations

Israel launched a wave of deadly strikes across southern Lebanon on Thursday (May 28) and carried out its first raid near Beirut in weeks, killing a woman and two children despite an ongoing ceasefire agreement. The strike near the Lebanese capital came after heavy bombardment in southern Lebanon that authorities said killed at least 14 people, including three children. The escalation comes ahead of planned talks between Lebanese and Israeli military delegations at the Pentagon on Friday, followed by another round of US-mediated negotiations next week, the fourth since the latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted.

A Lebanese military source said an apartment in Choueifat, south of Beirut, was hit in what marked only the second raid near the capital since the ceasefire came into effect on April 17 following the outbreak of war in early March. Israel’s military confirmed it had ‘precisely struck in Beirut’, but did not disclose the intended target. Lebanon’s health ministry said the strike killed three people, including a woman and her baby daughter, and a child of Syrian nationality, while wounding 15 others, among them three children and five women. Footage from the area showed smoke rising over the southern outskirts of Beirut, a known Hezbollah stronghold.

Ceasefire under strain

A ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah that was supposed to have taken effect on April 17 has largely failed to hold, with both sides accusing each other of repeated violations. Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc on Thursday called on Lebanese authorities to withdraw from direct negotiations with Israel, accusing the country of seeking to impose security coordination to benefit its aggression through military talks.

The group also claimed responsibility for around 20 attacks on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon on Thursday. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said the United Nations was ‘deeply concerned’ and urged both sides to respect the ceasefire agreement. The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, said Wednesday saw around 670 projectiles fired, the highest level since 17 April. Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli attacks since the ceasefire announcement had killed 3,324 people, with the toll increasing by 55 in just one day. Israel’s military claimed that approximately 2,500 Hezbollah terrorists have been eliminated since March, including 800 since the truce was announced. An Israeli military official also said around 400 explosive drones had targeted Israel since the ceasefire started.

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Southern Lebanon declared as ‘combat zones’

On Wednesday, Israel declared all areas south of Lebanon’s Zahrani River, including the cities of Tyre and Nabatieh, as ‘combat zones’ and ordered residents to evacuate.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported multiple Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon on Thursday, including deadly attacks on Nabatieh. Israeli airstrikes also targeted the southern cities of Tyre and Sidon overnight.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the attacks, saying on X that nothing can justify the ongoing attacks on the Tyre and Nabatieh regions and the destruction of their historical landmarks. He also described Israel’s strikes and evacuation orders as collective punishment. According to Lebanon’s health ministry, a strike in Tyre killed two Syrians, including a child, while another attack in Sidon killed five people, among them two women.

Another strike on a vehicle in Adloun killed six people, including two children, their mother, and their father. Lebanon’s military also confirmed that one of its soldiers was killed in a separate strike while driving in the Nabatieh region. Lebanon became increasingly drawn into the wider Middle East conflict after Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in US-Israeli attacks, triggering intensified Israeli airstrikes and a ground offensive.