ALBAWABA- At least 26 people, including two children, were killed on Wednesday after Israeli forces launched 76 attacks across Lebanon in one of the deadliest days of violence since the fragile ceasefire took effect earlier this year.
Among the dead were five members of the same family killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residential home in the southern Lebanese town of Arab Salim. Lebanese authorities said the strike formed part of an intensified Israeli military campaign that caused heavy civilian casualties across several areas in southern Lebanon.
The escalation came on the eve of a third round of US-mediated talks between Israeli and Lebanese representatives scheduled for May 14–15 in Washington. The negotiations are aimed at reinforcing the ceasefire, addressing the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons, and seeking a broader long-term security arrangement along the border.
In response to the Israeli strikes, Hezbollah said it launched two drones targeting an Israeli troop gathering in the Alexandretta area of southern Lebanon, describing the attack as retaliation for continued Israeli operations.
Israeli Channel 12 reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a high-level security meeting to discuss several regional issues, including the growing threat posed by Hezbollah’s explosive drones, developments in Lebanon, and tensions involving Iran.
Israel says its operations are necessary to counter Hezbollah activity and prevent the group from rebuilding its military capabilities near the border, while Lebanese officials and Hezbollah accuse Israel of targeting civilians and violating Lebanese sovereignty.
The sharp rise in casualties is expected to cast a shadow over the upcoming Washington talks, where major disagreements remain unresolved, including demands linked to the implementation of UN resolutions calling for Hezbollah’s withdrawal from border areas and greater Lebanese state control in the south.
