Israeli air strikes on the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Rumman on Sunday night killed 12 people, including two children and four women, the Lebanese health ministry said.
The first overnight raid destroyed a three‑storey residential building near the town’s Shuyuiya roundabout, claiming 11 lives. A second strike on an ambulance‑driven vehicle in the same area killed a paramedic and injured two others, bringing the total toll from the village to 12.
The Israeli military said it was targeting infrastructure belonging to the Shia‑Muslim militant group Hezbollah and the “transfer of weapons” by several “terrorists”, in retaliation for a drone attack on Israeli troops in the Ali al‑Taher ridge area inside the Israeli‑declared security zone.
Over the past three days, Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon have killed at least 27 people, according to the Lebanese health ministry. The local president, Joseph Aoun, has warned that the “dangerous escalation” threatens the June cease‑fire brokered by the United States, calling for international pressure on Israel to stop the assaults.
One resident, 35‑year‑old Sara Moallaem, described how she slept with her five children when the explosions erupted; she immediately moved them to a safe room while waiting for sirens to cease. She told reporters that her family moved to plans in the coastal city of Sidon to avoid future attacks.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) stated it struck several Hezbollah terrorist sites across southern Lebanon and that the claims of “uninvolved individuals” being harmed are under review. No comment was received from Hezbollah in the wake of the attacks. Mahmoud Ali Ammar, a Hezbollah parliamentary representative, affirmed that “the language of resistance is the only effective language against the Israeli enemy”.
The broader conflict, which began on 2 March when Hezbollah launched rockets in retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader, has forced Israel to mount a bombing campaign across Lebanon and occupy significant territories in the south. According to the Lebanese health ministry, at least 4,362 people have been killed in the land‑locked country during the war, including 395 women and 259 children – numbers that do not differentiate between combatants and civilians. Israeli authorities report 40 Israeli soldiers and four civilians killed in the conflict.
The cease‑fire agreement demands Hezbollah disarm and Israeli forces withdraw gradually from southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese army deploying as part of the plan. Hezbollah has rejected the framework, citing “red lines” that cannot be crossed.
