Israel killed at least 20 people and wounded others Friday in more than a dozen attacks on Lebanon, despite efforts to shore up a ceasefire, according to an Anadolu tally based on statements from Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).
One person was killed and another wounded when Israeli shelling targeted the town of Borj Qalawieh in the Tyre district in the latest attack, the agency reported.
In the Nabatieh province, one person was killed and another wounded when an Israeli strike targeted a building near a police station in the town of Doueir, destroying it.
Three more people were killed in another Israeli strike on the same town, raising the death toll there to four, the agency reported.
A young man from Kfar Rumman was killed when a drone targeted his car in his hometown in the morning, it said.
In the Bint Jbeil district, a drone targeted a motorcycle on the Bir al-Salasil-Kfar Dounine road, killing the driver, NNA added.
Meanwhile, three people were killed in attacks on Adchit in Nabatieh district.
Warplanes later launched a two-wave strike on Kfar Rumman, along with strikes on Wadi al-Namiriyeh near Deir al-Zahrani, Mayfadoun, al-Rayhan, and an area between the towns of Louaizeh and Mlikh, NNA said.
The agency said an Israeli drone struck a motorcycle in the square of Marwaniyeh town in the Zahrani area of the Nabatieh district, killing two people, including a member of the Marwaniyeh municipal council, and injuring two others.
In a separate attack, Israeli warplanes struck the town of Zefta, killing one male and injuring his son after their home was destroyed, the agency reported.
NNA also said a young man was killed in a drone strike near the Harouf-Toul roundabout in the Nabatieh district.
Another person was killed in a separate drone strike in the town of Toul in the same district, according to the agency.
In the Nabatieh district of Zibdin, four people, including a paramedic, were killed in an air raid carried out by Israeli warplanes.
The escalation included shelling and an airstrike targeting the town of Kafr Rumman, resulting in one death.
Israeli drones also launched a series of strikes on the towns of Habboush and Abba, as well as on a motorcycle near the Popular Aid junction, wounding one person.
The escalation also included artillery shelling that targeted Kfar Rumman, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, and the outskirts of Choukin and Mayfadoun, while an Israeli drone struck the area around the Harouf-Toul roundabout.
In Tyre, 12 people were wounded in a strike near Jabal Amel Hospital that destroyed a building belonging to Bank Audi. Civil defense teams transferred the wounded to the hospital, the agency reported.
The town of Majdal Zoun in the same district was also hit by an Israeli airstrike, while artillery targeted the outskirts of Borj Qalawieh and Deir Kifa, the agency said.
In the Zahrani area, an Israeli drone targeted the al-Barrak area near the Addousiyeh junction before dawn, the agency reported.
Separately, the Israeli army claimed Friday that it had killed a Hezbollah field official in a strike in southern Lebanon last week.
The army said in a statement that it killed Abd Harb, whom it described as a “commander of Hezbollah’s engineering unit.”
The Israeli army did not provide verifiable evidence for its claims, and Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the statement.
Ceasefire efforts
The attacks came despite a fragile ceasefire in place since April 17, which Washington extended until early July, and amid continued diplomatic efforts to preserve it and prevent its collapse.
A joint Lebanese-US-Israeli statement announced early Thursday that Beirut and Tel Aviv had agreed during talks in Washington to implement a ceasefire based on a complete halt to Hezbollah attacks and the withdrawal of all Hezbollah members from the area south of the Litani River.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the US would determine the timing and mechanism for implementing the ceasefire, which could begin within 24 hours of receiving approval.
But Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem rejected the outcomes of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.
Israel occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some held for decades and others seized during the 2023–2024 conflict. During the current offensive, Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) into Lebanese territory, marking their deepest incursion since 2000.
More than 3,550 people have been killed and over 10,800 injured in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since March 2, according to Lebanese officials.
*Writing by Lina Altawell in Istanbul
