Israeli drones and airstrikes killed at least 22 people across Lebanon on Wednesday—eight of them children—hours before Lebanese and Israeli delegations were due to sit down in Washington for a new round of US-brokered negotiations on Thursday.
Among the dead were a mother and her two children, killed when Israeli drones struck vehicles traveling on the coastal highway south of Beirut. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said at least 12 people died in a series of strikes on seven vehicles—three of them on the main Beirut-Sidon highway—with additional strikes killing others deeper in the south. Before the attacks, the Israeli military had issued new displacement orders for at least six southern villages, claiming it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.
The strikes come as Lebanon and Israel prepare for the third round of direct talks in Washington, due to be the most substantive yet, covering both security and political tracks. Previous talks on April 23 at the White House resulted in a three-week extension to the 10-day truce in place from April 17. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has resisted US pressure to meet directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, insisting such a meeting would be inappropriate before a security agreement is reached and Israeli strikes halted.
Wednesday’s killings underscore the gap between the ceasefire on paper and conditions on the ground. Since the truce was declared on April 17, Israeli attacks have killed at least 22 children and injured 89 more. The head of Lebanon’s National Council for Scientific Research said more than 10,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed since the truce was declared.
Meanwhile Hezbollah, which was not a signatory to the April 17 ceasefire, claimed it carried out 25 operations against Israeli forces Tuesday alone, including guided missile strikes on Merkava tanks and suicide drone swarm attacks near Naqoura port.
The United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, said Wednesday it is increasingly alarmed by the proximity of fighting to its positions, with drones exploding in and around UN bases. Secretary-General António Guterres has called on both sides to observe the ceasefire and halt all attacks.
In total, Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 have killed at least 2,896 people and wounded more than 8,824, according to the Health Ministry.
