Israel blames Hezbollah attack for injuring three soldiers
Shafaq News- Middle East
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday that three soldiers were wounded in an attack it attributed to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, hours after Israel’s strikes killed at least 11 people.
“Hezbollah violated the ceasefire in Lebanon by attacking our soldiers in the security zone, which protects Israeli communities just across the border,” the office stated, maintaining that the military then hit the command center behind the operation and only later learned that civilians were inside. It accused Hezbollah of placing them there “deliberately.”
The Prime Minister's Office:This morning Hezbollah violated the ceasefire in Lebanon by attacking our soldiers in the security zone, which protects Israeli communities just across the border. The Hezbollah attack seriously injured three of our soldiers. The IDF responded by…
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) August 15, 2026
Lebanon’s Health Ministry put Saturday’s toll at 11 dead and 11 injured. Four people were killed and nine wounded in Deir Al-Zahrani, while seven others, including three children and two women, died in Ansar, where two were injured. Lebanese media reported further Israeli fire and military activity across the south.
🔴ELIMINATED: Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan, a Hezbollah battalion commander in the Radwan Force unit. Hassan was eliminated in an IDF strike on a central HQ of the Radwan Force unit in the Ansar area in southern Lebanon, following a Hezbollah terror attack against IDF soldiers…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 15, 2026
President Joseph Aoun condemned the attacks as repeated ceasefire violations, while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called the escalation “extremely dangerous” and warned that it threatens efforts to stabilize southern Lebanon. He argued that the women and children killed in Ansar were not military targets and that any military infrastructure on Lebanese territory falls under the responsibility of the state and its army.
Hezbollah accused Netanyahu of expanding the conflict for domestic political purposes, blaming US support for enabling Israel’s actions. The group urged Lebanese authorities to reconsider their approach to negotiations and warned of an “appropriate response” if the attacks continue.
Read more: Lebanon's Hezbollah shifts to political fight over weapons
