Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon kill at least 13, including six children

Israeli strikes on a town in southern Lebanon have killed at least 13 people, including six children, according to Lebanon's health ministry. The attacks hit Kfar Rumman amid a sharp rise in cross-border violence in recent days, raising fears of a renewed Israeli military campaign despite a ceasefire reached in June. Rescue workers used heavy machinery through the morning to search the rubble of a residential building that was struck as children were preparing for school.

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The health ministry said 12 people were killed in the strike on the residential building, including six children and three women, while a separate drone strike on a civilian vehicle killed one medic. Two other medics were wounded in that second strike, the ministry said. State media said the residential attack happened after midnight, and the Israeli military said it had targeted people it believed were transferring weapons in the area of Kfar Rumman.

The military also said it had taken steps to reduce harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance. Local accounts described a scene of heavy destruction and personal loss. A woman who said she was related to at least three of the dead said the strike hit a residential building as children were getting ready for school.

Eight-year-old Mustafa Farhat lost his grandparents and his mother in the attack, according to local residents, while rescuers were still searching for his father's body. At the hospital, a relative said the family home had been hit in the run-up to school time, underscoring the civilian toll of the strike. The incident matters because it comes during a fragile period along the Lebanon-Israel frontier, where the June ceasefire was intended to stop fighting between the Israeli military and Hezbollah.

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Instead, the latest strikes have deepened concern in Lebanon that the conflict could widen again. The deaths of children and medical workers are likely to intensify pressure on officials and humanitarian responders, while also sharpening scrutiny of how military operations are being conducted in populated areas. Kfar Rumman lies in southern Lebanon, an area that has repeatedly been affected by the broader confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Israeli military said Hezbollah had launched two explosive drones overnight toward Israeli troops operating near the Ali al-Taher ridge, a strategic hill area in southeastern Lebanon. That exchange highlights how quickly local incidents can feed into a wider cycle of retaliation, even when formal ceasefire arrangements remain in place. What remains unclear is whether the latest strikes will trigger further retaliation or a broader escalation in the coming days.

The Israeli military said it was reviewing reports that uninvolved people were harmed, but no further assessment was given in the material provided. The full extent of the damage in Kfar Rumman and the condition of the wounded medics also remain uncertain.

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