Seven killed in Israeli strike on Lebanon

An Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon killed seven people, including three children and two women, early Saturday, in one of the deadliest attacks since a fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on June 20.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said the strike hit a home on the outskirts of Ansar, while paramedics continued searching through the rubble.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said seven people were killed and two others wounded in the attack. Earlier reports had put the number of wounded at three.

The strike came amid continued tensions despite a framework agreement announced by Israel and the Lebanese government on June 26. The agreement sets out a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon in return for the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah and includes steps towards a possible peace agreement between the two countries.

Hezbollah has refused direct talks and was not a party to the agreement.

Israeli airstrikes also hit the strategic Ali Taher hill overlooking parts of Nabatiyeh and key roads leading to the southern city, according to NNA. Israel has continued near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon despite the truce.

The Israeli military said it had targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in Ansar and Ali Taher in response to what it described as an attack on Israeli soldiers in the area.

The military said it would continue operations to prevent Hezbollah from threatening Israeli civilians or soldiers.

A Hezbollah official did not immediately respond to questions about whether the group had carried out any attack on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.

Earlier this month, two Israeli soldiers were killed in an explosion in southern Lebanon, marking the first Israeli military deaths since the truce. Hezbollah did not claim responsibility for the blast.

Lebanon and Israel have held seven rounds of talks, with the latest taking place in Rome earlier this month. Hezbollah has refused to disarm, accusing the Lebanese government of making concessions without securing an Israeli withdrawal.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war erupted on March 2, after Hezbollah fired rockets across the border, two days after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran. More than 4,000 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since then, including hundreds of civilians, while about 40 Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed on the Israeli side.