At least 31 people were killed in southern Lebanon in a series of Israeli airstrikes

Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 31 people on Tuesday, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, as Israel announced an escalation of its military operations despite an existing truce with Hezbollah.

The ministry said the attacks killed at least four children and three women, while 40 others were wounded. The dead included 14 people in Burj al-Shamali near Tyre, five in Kawthariyat al-Riz, four in Habbush, six in Maarakeh and two in Salaa.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with Israeli troops attempting to enter the southern town of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, overlooking Nabatieh, after heavy bombardment and artillery shelling. The group claimed it repelled the advance and launched drone and rocket attacks on Israeli forces.

An AFP correspondent in Nabatieh reported multiple airstrikes after Israeli forces issued rare evacuation warnings covering at least 50 towns and villages in southern and eastern Lebanon, including the city itself. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said one strike landed near a public hospital, causing major damage to several departments.

An Israeli military official told AFP that troops had moved beyond the so-called “Yellow Line,” roughly 10 kilometres inside Lebanese territory, signalling an expansion of ground operations.

In eastern Lebanon, the health ministry said an Israeli strike on Mashghara in West Bekaa killed 11 people, including two girls and a woman, and injured 15 others, among them a child. Rescue teams were still searching through rubble following the attack. Israel said it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure and militant activity in the area.

Further strikes hit areas near the Qaraoun Dam on the Litani River, prompting the Litani River Authority to warn of potentially catastrophic consequences if the dam or its facilities were damaged. Lebanon’s civil defence also said one rescuer died after a “double-tap” strike in Qaraoun while assisting a victim from an earlier attack, bringing the number of rescuers killed in the conflict to 121.

The Israeli military said it struck more than 100 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon overnight, while Hezbollah claimed responsibility for drone attacks on Israeli military positions in northern Israel. Israel said several explosive drones launched toward its territory were intercepted.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said operations in Lebanon were being intensified, adding that Israeli forces were securing strategic positions and reinforcing a buffer zone to protect northern Israeli communities.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon reported a sharp rise in hostilities. UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said peacekeepers recorded 91 airspace violations on Monday — the highest since the ceasefire began — along with 399 Israeli firing incidents and 11 projectile launches attributed to Hezbollah.

Israel has continued carrying out strikes in Lebanon despite the truce, saying it is targeting Hezbollah positions. Lebanese authorities say more than 3,100 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2, when Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel in support of Iran amid the broader Middle East conflict.