Israeli Airstrikes Hit Southern Lebanon Village, Killing 9

Israeli airstrikes on a village in southern Lebanon killed at least nine people, including women and children, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Monday, as tensions between Israel and Hezbollah escalated.

The Israeli air force carried out two strikes early Monday on the southern Lebanese village. According to the Health Ministry, one strike hit a building, killing eight people, including a child and two women. Eleven others were wounded, among them four children and two women.

A second strike targeted a vehicle in the village, killing a paramedic affiliated with the Lebanese Islamic Risala Scout Association and wounding two other people, the ministry said.

The strikes came amid renewed tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, despite a ceasefire that had previously reduced the intensity of fighting between the two sides. Recent clashes and Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon have raised concerns about further escalation.

Houthis Claim Saudi Reconnaissance Aircraft Was Downed

Meanwhile, Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed Monday that they had shot down a Saudi reconnaissance aircraft in northern Yemen as tensions with Yemeni government forces continued.

Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said in a statement that Houthi forces detected the aircraft in the airspace of Jawf province and brought it down. He claimed the aircraft belonged to Saudi Arabia and was carrying out what he described as “hostile actions.”

Saree also claimed that three Saudi reconnaissance drones had been downed over the previous 24 hours. One of them, he said, was detected Monday morning over Bayda province.

The Associated Press could not independently verify the Houthi claims.

The latest developments underscore the continuing volatility across the Middle East, where fighting involving Israel, Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis continues to pose a risk of wider regional escalation.

Source: Associate Press