Shafaq News- Beirut

Israel struck dozens of villages across southern Lebanon on Thursday, killing at least eight people, while Hezbollah retaliated with drones and missiles, wounding 12 Israeli soldiers in a single strike near the border.

The Israeli military announced a series of strikes against Hezbollah positions in the south, targeting sites in the Nabatieh area and the Shebaa Farms, where it said it dismantled rocket-launch infrastructure. Residents of eight villages and towns were ordered to evacuate and move at least 1,000 meters from their homes.

Lebanese civil defense authorities confirmed at least eight people killed in strikes on Jebsheet, Toul, and Harouf, with casualties reported across multiple districts, including Bint Jbeil and Nabatiyeh. In the village of Haris, five members of a single family were among the dead.

A Hezbollah explosive drone struck an armored vehicle near the Shumeira settlement in western Galilee, wounding 12 Israeli soldiers —two moderately and ten lightly, according to the Israeli military. Israeli media reported that the vehicle caught fire and several others were damaged in the attack.

Hezbollah also claimed responsibility for the Shumeira strike, saying it had targeted a self-propelled 155mm artillery piece south of the town of Yarin. The group separately announced it hit two Merkavas in Bent Jbeil, and had downed an Israeli Hermes 450 surveillance drone over Nabatieh using a surface-to-air missile, a claim the Israeli military confirmed, describing the incident as under investigation.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the strikes, saying Israeli forces were continuing to demolish homes and places of worship in the south despite the declared ceasefire. He called for international pressure on Israel to halt what he described as attacks on civilians and rescue workers.

Lebanon's Health Ministry put the cumulative death toll from Israeli strikes since March 2 at least 2,576 killed and 7,962 wounded, as of April 29.