Death Toll Rises to 16 as Israel Strikes Lebanon During Ceasefire

Lebanese authorities have reported that the death toll from a series of Israeli air strikes on Saturday (20/6) has risen to 16 people. Tel Aviv’s latest bombardment occurred a day after the announcement of an extended ceasefire between Israel and the conflicting Hezbollah group.

In a statement, Lebanon’s civil defence agency reported that its personnel had evacuated “16 fatalities and 12 wounded” to hospitals. The civil defence personnel were said to have been working “since dawn” in the Nabatieh district, responding to “ongoing attacks targeting the area”.

The Israeli military announced in a statement that its forces struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Saturday (20/6) local time. Tel Aviv claimed the attack was in response to the launch of projectiles overnight from Hezbollah.

“Overnight, the Hezbollah terrorist organisation launched more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. Following the attack, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) struck Hezbollah terrorist targets in southern Lebanon,” an Israeli military official said.

Hezbollah has not officially claimed any attack against Israel or its forces in southern Lebanon since the ceasefire was announced.

Lebanon’s official news agency, the National News Agency (NNA), previously reported that Israeli air strikes hit around 20 locations in southern Lebanon after midnight on Friday (19/6) into Saturday (20/6) morning. The Israeli bombardment largely struck the Nabatieh area, both within the city and on its outskirts.

A report by an AFP journalist on the Israeli side of the border noted several other explosions occurred in Lebanese territory, with smoke billowing behind the historic Beaufort Castle, which was seized by Israeli forces last month.