Israeli strikes kill 14 in Lebanon including three soldiers as Hezbollah vows resistance
2026-03-17 - 22:59
At least 14 people were killed, including three Lebanese soldiers, in Israeli airstrikes Tuesday targeting areas in southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs, as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continues to escalate. An Israeli airstrike targeted the town of Ghazieh in Sidon district, killing three people and injuring five others, the Lebanese Health Ministry said in a statement. Widespread strikes In Nabatieh district, an Israeli airstrike targeted a residential complex in the town of Harouf, killing three people, according to Lebanon's National News Agency. The agency added that an Israeli drone struck a car between the towns of Aba and Jebchit in the same district, killing one person and injuring another. Drone strikes also targeted motorcycles in Doueir and Deir al-Zahrani, injuring two people. In Tyre district, one person was killed in an airstrike targeting a car in Al-Sultaniyyah, while another strike on Al-Jmeijmeh killed two people. Beirut airport road attack On the road to Beirut International Airport, the Lebanese Health Ministry announced that one person was killed and nine others were injured in an Israeli airstrike, highlighting the expanding geographic scope of attacks. Lebanese army targeted The Lebanese army command said in a statement that Israeli strikes targeted army personnel, resulting in the killing of three soldiers and the injury of five others in the towns of Zebdine, Qaqaiyat al-Jisr and Doueir in Nabatieh district. The statement strongly condemned Israeli attacks targeting both military personnel and civilians. Hezbollah's conditions On Tuesday evening, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem stressed the continuation of resistance against Israel and outlined four conditions for a solution: stopping the Israeli aggression, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all occupied Lebanese territories, the release of prisoners and allowing displaced people to return with the start of reconstruction. Conflict context On March 2, Hezbollah, an ally of Iran, attacked a military site in northern Israel in response to ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon despite a ceasefire reached in November 2024 as well as the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28 in a joint US-Israeli airstrike in Tehran. Israel's military launched what it called "limited" ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Monday, with Israeli media suggesting troops have penetrated between 7 and 9 kilometers into Lebanese territory. Mounting toll The escalation comes amid ongoing clashes that have left 912 people dead, 2,221 injured and more than one million displaced as of Tuesday, according to Lebanese authorities. The broader regional conflict following US-Israeli attacks on Iran has killed at least 1,332 people and injured more than 15,000 in Iran alone.