Rescue workers searched through collapsed buildings on Wednesday in the southern villages of Deir Qanoun al Nahr and Al-Maashouq, a day after Israeli airstrikes killed at least 19 people, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
Bulldozers cleared concrete and twisted metal while emergency teams looked for bodies beneath the rubble in Tyre province. Officials said four women and three children were among the dead, while several others were injured.
In Deir Qanoun al Nahr, a strike destroyed a residential house and damaged nearby vehicles, leaving personal belongings scattered across the debris. Images from Al-Maashouq also showed heavy destruction inside a mosque and surrounding homes.
The attacks came two days after a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was extended by 45 days following renewed fighting along the border. Israel’s military said it had targeted more than 25 Hezbollah infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon between Monday and Tuesday. Hezbollah has continued to reject calls from Lebanese authorities to disarm, while Israeli forces say they are trying to stop drone attacks on troops and border towns.
More than one million people have been displaced in Lebanon since the conflict escalated, with many families sheltering near Beirut’s coastline and roadsides. Israel also reported the death of one soldier in southern Lebanon on Tuesday.