Israel renews strikes on southern, eastern Lebanon, wounds 5 in Baalbek

Israeli warplanes and drones renewed strikes on several areas in southern and eastern Lebanon on Friday, while five people were injured in an airstrike near the eastern city of Baalbek, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The new strikes follow a series of Israeli attacks since early Friday that have killed 28 people and injured several others in southern and eastern Lebanon, marking the deadliest escalation since a US-Iran memorandum aimed at ending hostilities on multiple fronts, including Lebanon, was signed.

NNA reported that Israeli warplanes carried out an airstrike on the southern town of Touline. In the Bint Jbeil district, an Israeli drone targeted the town of Borj Qallaway, as drones flew intensively over the Litani River basin and the Tyre area, the agency said.

Israeli warplanes also struck Jabal al-Rafih in the Jezzine region, while the area came under artillery shelling, according to NNA.

In eastern Lebanon, the agency said an Israeli strike on a building in Ain Bourday on the outskirts of Douris near Baalbek injured five people, including one who sustained minor wounds.

According to the latest official figures, Israel’s military offensive in Lebanon since March 2 has killed 3,912 people, injured 11,873 others, and displaced more than one million residents.

During the recent military campaign, Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometers (6 miles) into Lebanese territory.

On Wednesday evening, US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian electronically signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, aimed at ending the war.

However, Iran postponed the technical-level talks with the US, which were slated for Friday in Switzerland, in protest against “continued” Israeli ceasefire violations, mainly in southern Lebanon, Pakistani government sources told Anadolu.