Israeli army kills teen during south Lebanon raid

ISTANBUL

The Lebanese Health Ministry said a 15-year-old boy was killed and another person wounded during an Israeli military raid in southern Lebanon early Tuesday.

The ministry said in a statement that Israeli forces entered the town of Halta in the Hasbaya district at dawn under heavy gunfire, according to the National News Agency (NNA).

The Health Ministry said the forces abducted a resident during the operation.

The heavy fire led to the killing of a 15-year-old and the wounding of another civilian, it added.

There was no comment from the Israeli army.

The Israeli army has pounded Lebanon with airstrikes and launched a ground offensive in southern Lebanon since a cross-border attack by Hezbollah on March 2.

Lebanese authorities said at least 1,039 people have since been killed and 2,876 injured in Israeli attacks.

The escalation followed the start of a joint US-Israeli offensive on Iran, which has killed more than 1,340 people since Feb. 28. Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries, which it said are targeting “US military assets.”