Tel Aviv [Israel], August 16 (ANI): Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a stern warning following the latest Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon that killed 11 people, including three children and two women from the same family, and injured several others.
In a post on X, Katz declared that Israel will react decisively to any security threats facing its military personnel and civilian population.
"No account on any front will remain unsettled," Defense Minister Katz wrote, adding, "We will forcefully defend our soldiers and citizens."
אף חשבון באף זירה לא יישאר פתוח.
נגן בעוצמה על חיילינו ואזרחינו.
His remarks come after at least 11 people were killed and 19 others injured in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday (local time), following the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) saying that three of its soldiers were injured in earlier attacks by Hezbollah, Al Jazeera reported.
The early-morning Israeli strikes targeted Ansar and Deir ez-Zahrani in the Nabatieh district. In Ansar, seven people were killed, including three children, while two others were injured. Another strike in Deir ez-Zahrani killed four people and injured 17 others, according to Al Jazeera.
Following the strikes, Israel acknowledged that civilians were among the casualties and accused Hezbollah of "deliberately putting civilians in that military compound".
Israel identified the women and children killed in the strike as family members of a targeted senior Hezbollah commander, according to The Times of Israel.
The strikes drew strong criticism from Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who accused Israel of sending a "clear message" ahead of the next round of US-sponsored negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.
However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire in Lebanon by attacking Israeli soldiers, as the military carried out a strike in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah accused Israel of "aggressive escalation" and targeting civilians.
In a post on X, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said Hezbollah attacked Israeli soldiers operating in the security zone, seriously injuring three soldiers.
Meanwhile, the Arab League issued a stern condemnation of the continued Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon following widespread civilian casualties, warning that the intensification of hostilities risks derailing ongoing efforts to resolve the crisis and end the occupation, Anadolu Agency reported.
According to Anadolu Agency, the spokesperson for the Arab League secretary-general stated that the strikes hitting civilians across Nabatieh and surrounding communities constituted "a blatant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and a dangerous escalation that threatens to derail any efforts aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict and ending the occupation."
The spokesperson emphasised that "these Israeli policies and practices blatantly expose the occupation's intentions to prolong the confrontations, obstruct negotiations, and impose a new reality on the ground that is completely unacceptable and rejected."
Reaffirming its solidarity with Beirut and the Lebanese populace, the Arab League pledged complete backing for the state in resisting "all attacks targeting Lebanon's security, stability, sovereignty, and civil peace," Anadolu Agency reported.
Additionally, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei condemned what he described as the "brutal attacks" carried out by the "Zionist regime" on several areas of Lebanon, including Al-Ansar, Ali Al-Taher heights, Nabatieh al-Faouqa and Deir al-Zahrani, according to Tasnim News.
He also criticised the United Nations Security Council over what he described as its "silence and inaction" regarding "gross violations of international law and international humanitarian law", calling it "deplorable".
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson further commended the "resistance" of the Lebanese people against Israeli aggression. Baghaei also reaffirmed Iran's "solidarity with Lebanon" in defending its national sovereignty, independence and dignity, Tasnim News reported.
The latest strikes come amid heightened tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border, particularly in southern Lebanon, with the IDF stating that its operations aim to target Hezbollah's military infrastructure and prevent attacks on Israeli forces. (ANI)
