Israeli Strikes Continue in Southern Lebanon as Ceasefire Collapses

Israeli air strikes continue across southern Lebanon, where a ceasefire announced last month has failed to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Last Saturday an Israeli strike at lunchtime destroyed a building in the town of Saksakiyeh sheltering a displaced family, killing nine people from the same household.

The victims included a woman in her 70s, two of her sons, their wives, four grandchildren and a two-year-old great-granddaughter, relatives told the BBC. The Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah members operating from the building for military purposes and posed an immediate threat, while adding it was reviewing reports of harm to civilians.

Southern Lebanon, the heartland of the country's Shia community that forms Hezbollah's main support base, has been under near-constant Israeli bombardment. Countless buildings have been destroyed and streets remain largely deserted as many residents are reluctant or unable to return.

An Israeli drone hovered overhead during a recent visit and the sound of distant explosions could be heard. In the village of Arab Salim, only about 600 of a pre-war population of 6,000 remain. Two cousins in their 80s, Fatmeh and Dunya, said they had never left despite multiple wars.

"We've witnessed many wars. But we've never left," Fatmeh said. " Both expressed fear of constant Israeli drones but said their nerves steadied as they counted on God. Hussein Haydar, 56, stayed behind with his wife, son and one-year-old grandson in a home near a grocery store damaged in an earlier strike.

"The community supports Hezbollah because they're defending us," he said. " While reporters were present, the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for three nearby villages, followed by strikes about 30 minutes later. More than one million people have been displaced across Lebanon, representing one in five of the population.

Many from southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut's southern suburbs remain in tents. Hezbollah, created in the 1980s during Israel's occupation of Lebanon, is financed, trained and armed by Iran. Its official goals have included the destruction of Israel.

The latest escalation began when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel on March 2 following the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the U.S. and Israel launched a war on Iran. Israel responded with widespread air strikes and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah indicated it would abide by the deal if Israel observed it. The truce collapsed within days as Israel resumed strikes, accusing Hezbollah of violations. Hezbollah then renewed attacks on Israel and Israeli troops still in Lebanon. At least 2,800 people have been killed in Lebanon since the war began, according to the health ministry, including more than 400 since the ceasefire.

The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Israeli authorities say 18 soldiers and four civilians have been killed.

Israel's military occupies about 5 percent of Lebanese territory in the south, extending up to 10 kilometers from the border in places. The stated goal is to create a security buffer zone free of Hezbollah to protect northern Israeli communities from rockets, drones and potential ground attacks.

The Israeli military has flattened entire villages, saying the buildings were used by Hezbollah. Human rights groups have described the destruction of civilian infrastructure as a possible war crime. A Lebanese army checkpoint near the occupied town of Khiam remains blocked by a garbage container and tires.

Soldiers reported Israeli troops occupying houses on a overlooking hill and firing in their direction.

Despite heavy losses and domestic isolation, Hezbollah retains significant support in southern Lebanon as both a militia and a political and social movement providing schools, hospitals and other services where the state is absent. Its leader Naim Qassem has rejected calls to disarm.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has vowed to disarm the group but says it cannot be done by force to avoid alienating the Shia community. In the coastal city of Tyre, resident Rida Hijazi, 52, described repeated Israeli attacks over decades. A massive bombardment just before the ceasefire destroyed his house and business and killed his brother and neighbors.

"We've always supported Hezbollah because I grew up in this environment and saw things for myself," he said. "They were created to defend the land. Who is Hezbollah?

“The community supports Hezbollah because they're defending us. The factory, run by the IDF's Technology and Logistics Division, aims to begin supplying large quantities in July with initial output of 1,000 drones per month, scaling to tens of thousands. The move addresses reliance on domestic manufacturers using Chinese components that pose security and supply chain risks. Hezbollah's FPV drones, including fiber-optic guided versions resistant to electronic jamming, have caused casualties and damaged equipment including Merkava tanks and armored vehicles. Israel has begun deploying countermeasures such as netting on vehicles to entangle incoming drones. The Nakba, Arabic for "catastrophe," refers to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the 1948 war that created Israel. Many ended up in refugee camps in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria where descendants remain generations later. For Palestinians the events continue to shape the broader regional conflict.”