Israeli airstrikes on the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Rumman on Monday killed at least 12 people, including two children and four women, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. The strikes, which also wounded several others, including children and a paramedic, hit a building and a car.
The Israeli military stated that the strikes were in retaliation for two Hezbollah drone attacks targeting Israeli troops earlier that day. The military said the strikes targeted a Hezbollah militant attempting to transport weapons to Kfar Rumman. Hezbollah did not immediately claim responsibility for the drone attacks or comment on the retaliatory strikes.
Residents described a state of constant anxiety due to ongoing shelling. One resident, Fouad Chakaron, noted that the strikes had reached the "heart of the town." Another resident, Saleh Medlej, identified the destroyed building as a home for families with children, expressing defiance by vowing to remain in his hometown.
Earlier on Monday, the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for a home in Deir al-Zahrani before striking a building there, also citing retaliation for a Hezbollah drone attack. In a separate incident, Israeli troops operating near the Beaufort castle reportedly engaged and killed a Hezbollah member who fired on them from a house, lightly wounding two soldiers.
These developments follow Israeli strikes on Sunday that killed at least seven people in southern Lebanon and destroyed an empty hospital. The escalation occurs despite a U.S.-brokered truce that has been repeatedly violated by both sides. A framework agreement signed in June, intended to lead to an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament, has seen little progress. Hezbollah has indicated it will not disarm in areas north of the Litani River, while Israel has stated it will not withdraw unless the group is disarmed throughout the country.
The mayor of Kfar Rumman, Abdullah Farhat, characterized the events as a "massacre" and criticized Lebanese leaders for signing agreements while, in his view, the population bears the consequences of ongoing strikes.