BEIRUT, Lebanon / ISTANBUL

Four people were killed in Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling in southern Lebanon on Thursday, Lebanese media reported.

Fighter jets hit a house in the town of Adloun, killing two people, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Two more people were killed and eight others injured in strikes targeting several towns in the south, including Hosh Sour, Al-Burj Al-Shamali, Al-Masaken Al-Shaabia, Bazourieh and Debaal, NNA said.

Artillery shelling and airstrikes were also reported in several areas in the south, including the towns of Shehin, Marwahin, Bint Jbeil, Maroun Al-Ras, Bazourieh, Aitit and Qantara. No injuries were reported.

The Israeli army has escalated its airstrikes across Lebanon in recent days amid cross-border attacks with Hezbollah, despite a ceasefire deal that has been in place since November 2024.

According to Lebanese authorities, at least 968 people have been killed and 2,432 injured in Israeli strikes across Lebanon since March 2.

On Wednesday evening, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Tel Aviv intends to occupy the first line of villages in southern Lebanon to prevent attacks from the area.

The current escalation followed a joint US-Israeli offensive on Iran, which has killed around 1,300 people since Feb. 28. Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting “US military assets.”

*Writing by Khaled Badr