Conflict & Security
Israeli strikes kill 4 in Lebanon, ministry says
Israeli strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon killed four people and wounded 32 others, Lebanon's health ministry said Saturday, raising an earlier toll.
The ministry said those killed in Friday's strikes included an 18-year-old woman. It said several women and children were among the wounded, and that several locations were hit, particularly in the Nabatieh region.
The Israeli army said its forces struck Hezbollah "terrorists and infrastructure", including "weapon storage facilities". It said the strikes were carried out in response to an attempted Hezbollah attack on Israeli troops in south Lebanon on Friday, during which a drone was launched toward the soldiers. The army did not report troop injuries.
The raids came after Israel said Thursday that it had taken control of the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge near Nabatieh. Hezbollah condemned the strikes Saturday in its first statement since Israel announced it had captured the ridge. The statement did not mention Ali al-Taher or confirm Israel had taken the site.
In Mayfadoun, an AFP photographer saw residents inspecting damage after the strikes. Ali Suliman, a relative of 18-year-old Maryam Salameh, said her family had been displaced for six months by Israeli bombardment and had returned only the previous day.
The strikes also followed the International Committee of the Red Cross's transfer to Lebanon of four people detained by Israel on Friday, a day after another person was freed. Hezbollah called the release of the five detainees "significant" but said it could not be used to overlook what it called continued aggression, occupation and killing.
Lebanon began direct talks with Israel after Hezbollah drew the country into the Middle East war in March by attacking Israel. Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion that Lebanon says have killed more than 4,300 people.
Israeli forces are operating inside a self-declared security zone about 10 kilometres deep inside Lebanon along the border. Violence has lessened since a US-Iran memorandum of understanding on the broader conflict in June and a framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon later that month.
Update
Lebanon's health ministry raised the toll to four killed and 32 wounded.
The ministry said those killed included an 18-year-old woman and that the wounded included several women and children.
The Israeli army said the strikes were in response to an attempted Hezbollah attack in which a drone was launched toward Israeli soldiers in south Lebanon.
Hezbollah condemned the strikes in its first statement since Israel said it had captured the Ali al-Taher ridge.
Hezbollah called Israel's release of five detainees this week significant but said it did not justify overlooking continued aggression, occupation and killing.
Source note: AFP news report published on 5 September 2026 at 12:53:05 UTC.
Update
Lebanon's health ministry said one person was killed and 15 were injured in Rmadiyeh, including two children, three women and six rescuers.
A rescue service source told AFP the Rmadiyeh strike hit a house in a village sheltering people displaced from other southern areas.
Israel also targeted Rmadiyeh in the Tyre area, more than 10 kilometres from the Israeli border.
UN humanitarian coordinator Imran Riza said families returning to Nabatieh face destruction, lack of basic services, insecurity and uncertainty.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 September 2026 at 21:52:06 UTC.
Update
Lebanon's health ministry said the strikes hit five locations in the southern Tyr and Nabatieh regions and the eastern Bekaa region.
The ministry described the death toll as at least three people.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 September 2026 at 21:02:14 UTC.
Update
Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli strikes killed three people and injured 23 in south and east Lebanon.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 September 2026 at 20:50:32 UTC.
Update
A rescue service source told AFP that a strike on a house in Rmadiyeh injured four people.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said Israel stepped up strikes in the Nabatieh region on Friday and also targeted Rmadiyeh in the Tyre area.
Rmadiyeh was described as more than 10 kilometres from the Israeli border and sheltering people displaced from other southern areas.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 September 2026 at 20:08:36 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Hezbollah did not confirm Israel's claim that it had taken the Ali al-Taher ridge.
The Israeli army did not report injuries among its troops from the alleged attempted Hezbollah drone attack.
Source
AFP news report published on .