An Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon killed six people on Thursday, according to Lebanese officials, dealing a blow to already fragile ceasefire negotiations between the two sides. The strike targeted a residential building in the village of Houla, approximately 5 kilometres from the Israeli border. Among the dead were three children, local medical sources reported.
The incident comes as international mediators, including the United States and France, intensify efforts to broker a cessation of hostilities following months of cross-border exchanges between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. The Israeli military said the strike was in response to a rocket attack on northern Israel earlier in the day, which it attributed to Hezbollah. No group has claimed responsibility for that attack.
Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militia, has been exchanging fire with Israel since October, in parallel with the Gaza conflict. The airstrike threatens to undermine the UN-brokered framework for de-escalation, which had shown tentative signs of progress. Both sides have indicated a willingness to discuss truce terms, but deep distrust remains.
The Lebanese government condemned the strike as a violation of its sovereignty and called for an immediate international investigation. This latest escalation underscores the volatility of Lebanon’s southern border and the difficulty of sustaining diplomatic momentum in a region paralysed by proxy wars and unresolved grievances.
