Israeli strikes kill 7 in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah targets ground troops

Fighting in southern Lebanon continues as Israel seeks to establish a ‘security zone’ and dismantle Hezbollah.At least seven people have been killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, local media reports say, as Israel’s offensive on its northern neighbour enters its second month.An Israeli air raid on the town of Ramadiyeh, in the Tyre district, killed four people and wounded three others, the Ministry of Public Health said on Thursday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump tells allies ‘get your own oil’, says Iran war could end in 2-3 weekslist 2 of 3Iran war: What is happening on day 33 of US-Israel attacks?list 3 of 3Israel strike on Beirut kills senior Hezbollah commanderend of listA separate Israeli strike in the early morning hours hit a two-storey building in Kfarsir, in the Nabatieh district, killing three people, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.Further Israeli air raids were also reported in the towns of Yater, Harouf and Zebdine, destroying several homes.This comes a day after a raid in the Nabatieh district killed an entire family – a man, his wife and their two daughters.The Israeli military on Thursday claimed to have killed 40 Hezbollah fighters in 24 hours, as it targeted weapons depots and launch sites. The Lebanese group has not issued statements to deny or confirm the killing of its members.Since Israel launched its offensive on March 2, 1,318 people have been killed in Lebanon and 3,935 injured. At least 24 people have been killed in Israel since the beginning of its war on Iran on February 28, along with the United States, which has lost 13 US soldiers in the region so far.Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Lebanon remained committed to “working by all available means to stop the war.”“Lebanon has become a victim of a war whose outcome and end date no one can predict,” he said in a statement.“This compels us to redouble our political and diplomatic efforts to halt the ongoing violations of our sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to condemn the blatant breaches of international law and international humanitarian law.”