Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks killed at least 12 to 17 people across southern Lebanon on Wednesday, according to Lebanese health authorities and state media, as the conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah intensified despite a ceasefire agreement reached in April. The strikes hit multiple towns and villages in the Tyre district and beyond, with the heaviest toll recorded in Tayr Debba, a town just east of the port city of Tyre, where at least four strikes by Israeli jets and drones killed between eight and nine people. Three more were killed in nearby Deir Qanoun al-Nahr, and two in Seddiqin, south-east of Tyre. In a strike that drew particular attention, an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle in the centre of Sidon — a coastal city roughly halfway between Tyre and the capital Beirut that has hosted many displaced people and been relatively spared until now — killing two people. Lebanon's Civil Defence reported that two emergency responders were also wounded when a drone struck the area where they were aiding earlier victims.
The attacks came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Lebanese public directly, saying Israel was "not at war" with Lebanese citizens but with Hezbollah, which he described as having "taken your country hostage." He urged Lebanese people to "join Israel" in dismantling the group. Hezbollah, for its part, announced retaliatory rocket and drone attacks on Israeli troops operating in occupied parts of the south, targeting troop concentrations and military vehicles in the Bayada and Yohmor areas. Several hundred Hezbollah supporters rallied in Beirut's southern suburbs on Wednesday evening in a show of solidarity with Iran and its regional allies.
The violence underscores the fragility of the diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, which began on 2 March 2026 when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed Iran's supreme leader. Israel responded with a sweeping air campaign and ground invasion of southern Lebanon. A US-brokered ceasefire between the Israeli and Lebanese governments was announced on 16 April, but neither Israel nor Hezbollah has observed it. A further conditional truce deal was announced in early June, but Hezbollah rejected its terms, which called for a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire without requiring Israel to halt its own strikes.
The broader regional picture complicates any path to peace. Iran has demanded that Lebanon be included in any agreement to end the wider war between Israel, the US, and Iran — a condition that has created friction in ongoing negotiations with US President Donald Trump. Earlier this week, Israel struck Beirut's southern suburbs after Hezbollah fired rockets across the border; Iran responded with around 30 ballistic missiles, and Israel carried out two waves of airstrikes on Iranian targets. Iran has since warned it will resume hostilities if Israel continues its campaign in Lebanon, but Israel has rejected what it calls a "new equation."
The human cost in Lebanon continues to mount. Lebanese authorities say nearly 3,700 people have been killed and more than 11,300 wounded since the conflict began, while the UN estimates that almost one million people — roughly one fifth of Lebanon's population — remain displaced and 1.4 million require humanitarian aid. UN human rights chief Volker Türk announced Wednesday that he is sending a team of investigators to Lebanon, at the Lebanese government's request, to examine possible violations by all parties since March. Their findings, expected in late July, could be used in future war crimes proceedings. Israel has been notified of the mission but has not confirmed whether it will cooperate.