Israeli raids pound south Lebanon, Hezbollah claims 22 attacks

Shafaq News- Beirut (Updated at 10:27 a.m.)

Israeli strikes and artillery shelling intensified across southern Lebanon on Saturday, as Lebanese health authorities and local media reported at least 31 casualties in Israeli attacks, including medical personnel.

Lebanese outlets indicated that Israeli forces carried out a large-scale demolition operation in the Marjayoun area, while heavy artillery shelling targeted the vicinity of the Marjayoun power station. Israeli warplanes also launched two waves of airstrikes on the town of Jmaijmeh in the Bint Jbeil district, while additional raids struck al-Rayhan, Sojod, and al-Qatrani in Jezzine.

A drone targeted a pickup truck on the al-Sharifa–Habboush road near Nabatieh, killing one person and critically injuring another, while a separate strike on the road leading to the Nabih Berri Governmental Hospital wounded three people. Overnight, a drone strike on Ansar killed a father and his son and wounded seven other family members.

According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, a previous Israeli strike on Maaroub in the Tyre district killed four people and wounded five others, including two paramedics. It described the attack as part of a series of violations of international humanitarian law, which guarantees protection for medical personnel. Another strike on al-Abbassieh killed three people, including a Syrian national, and wounded one person, while a raid on Tayr Debba left four people dead and two injured.

The Health Ministry said the Israeli military campaign in Lebanon since March 2 has killed 3,355 people and wounded 10,095 others, including women and children.

The Israeli military also issued evacuation warnings to residents of six southern Lebanese towns, including Maifdoun, Choukine, and Zibdine in the Nabatieh area, and Mashghara in the western Beqaa, claiming that Hezbollah had violated the ceasefire agreement.

Hezbollah did not announce any operations on Saturday. The group, however, revealed that it had carried out 22 attacks yesterday, describing them as actions conducted "in defense of Lebanon and its people" and in response to what it called Israeli ceasefire violations and attacks on civilians.

Using rockets, drones, guided missiles, and explosive devices, the operations targeted Israeli troops, military positions, air-defense systems, and vehicles, including six Merkava tanks, an Iron Dome battery, a military Humvee, and a D9 bulldozer.

For its part, the Israeli military announced that it had destroyed a launcher used to fire rockets toward northern Israel overnight. It added that between 10 and 15 rockets were launched in four separate barrages, most of which were allegedly intercepted, with no casualties reported.

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