Lebanon says Israeli strikes killed 19 in countrys south

On Tuesday evening, Hezbollah stated that some of its men had clashed with the Israeli enemy forces trying to advance near the central square of the town of Haddatha in southern Lebanon.

The ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel has once again been weakened. Beirut stated on Tuesday, May 19, that Israeli strikes in the south of the country resulted in 19 deaths. The Ministry of Health described it as a “massacre” following an attack on the town of Deir Qanoune al-Nahr in the Tyre district. Ten people were reported dead, including three children, three women, and three injured individuals, one being a child.

Additionally, nine people were killed in other strikes across the south, leading to 29 injuries, including six women and a child. Images from AFP showed a strike on Maachouq, north of Tyre, causing the collapse of the top two floors of a building and damaging nearby structures and parked cars. A strike in the same location on Monday had destroyed a healthcare center run by Hezbollah-affiliated rescuers, as stated by the Ministry of Health on Tuesday.

According to the official Lebanese National News Agency (Ani), a strike severely damaged a neighborhood in Nabatiye, housing stores, an old mosque, and traditional residences. The Israeli army had previously urged residents of 12 Lebanese locations, including 11 in the south and one in the Bekaa region, to evacuate. The same warning was reiterated later.

On their part, Hezbollah asserted on Tuesday evening that some of their men had clashed with the Israeli enemy forces attempting to advance near the central square of Haddatha in southern Lebanon. The pro-Iranian Islamist movement also claimed to have carried out several attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and Iron Dome batteries in the north of Israel. The movement also claimed multiple attacks on Israeli forces in border areas of the south.