18 killed in Israeli strikes on S. Lebanon

At least 18 people were killed in Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon on Friday, Lebanese media and rescue officials said, as violence escalated despite a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, reported Xinhua. Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported that four people were killed and three others injured in two Israeli airstrikes on the municipality of Toura in the Tyre district, with rescue teams still searching for a missing girl beneath the rubble. According to NNA, four others were killed in a strike on the town of Sultaniyeh. Three were killed and one woman injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting the Arab al-Jal-Houmine al-Tahta road. Two more were killed in an airstrike on the town of Zrariyeh, according to local media. Lebanese media also reported that five people were killed in a series of airstrikes across several towns in the Bint Jbeil and Marjayoun districts. The Lebanese Red Cross said it recovered the bodies of two young men who had gone missing following Israeli airstrikes on the village of Blat a day earlier. Meanwhile, Hezbollah said it launched retaliatory attacks for Israeli ceasefire violations, claiming to have targeted an Israeli army D9 bulldozer with a suicide drone, shelled troop and vehicle gatherings, and struck a Merkava tank with guided missiles. The group also said it fired rockets at Israel's Shraga base, the administrative headquarters of the Golani Brigade command, north of the occupied city of Acre, and a deployment site for the elite commando unit Egoz. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that its air force struck and destroyed a Hezbollah rocket launcher used in attacks on northwestern Israel earlier Friday. The launches by Hezbollah activated air raid sirens across Nahariya, Akko, and Haifa Bay, sending hundreds of thousands to shelters. The IDF said that one rocket was intercepted and others fell in open areas, with no casualties. Yet explosive drones launched by Hezbollah on Friday wounded three Israeli soldiers, one seriously. Meanwhile, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday called on the EU to pressure Israel to halt its attacks in southern Lebanon, including the destruction of homes and the targeting of paramedics, journalists, and civil defense personnel. Aoun made the remarks during a meeting with visiting European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib at Baabda Palace. According to a presidency statement, Aoun reaffirmed Lebanon's commitment to a ceasefire and stressed the need for a comprehensive halt to hostilities to pave the way for the redeployment of the Lebanese army up to the internationally-recognized border, the release of Lebanese detainees, and the return of displaced residents whose number has risen to nearly 1 million. He warned that humanitarian needs are rising amid severe damage to homes, agricultural lands, and infrastructure. For her part, Lahbib reaffirmed the EU's support, including its political backing for negotiations and the principle of state monopoly over arms. She noted that the EU has mobilized more than 3.5 billion euros (about 4.1 billion U.S. dollars) for Lebanon since 2011, including over 1 billion euros in humanitarian aid. Following renewed hostilities and displacement in March, the EU rapidly allocated 100 million euros in humanitarian assistance and sent seven humanitarian aid flights to Beirut. Lahbib added that more than half of Lebanon's population now relies on humanitarian assistance, stressing that humanitarian aid alone could not resolve the crisis. She also called for respect for Lebanon's territorial integrity, urged Hezbollah to stop its attacks and be disarmed, and demanded that Israel halt strikes targeting civilian infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and bridges. The meeting came amid continued tensions along the Lebanese-Israeli border despite an extended ceasefire agreement reached last month. Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operations Center said the cumulative toll from Israeli attacks between March 2 and May 8 has reached 2,759 killed and 8,512 injured. The violence comes despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect at midnight between April 16 and 17 following weeks of cross-border fighting linked to the wider regional conflict involving Iran.