Beirut, March 24, (V7N) – Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least nine people on Wednesday, targeting towns and a Palestinian refugee camp. The strikes are part of Israel's ongoing military campaign against Hezbollah, which intensified after the militant group launched rocket attacks on Israel in early March.

According to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA), Israeli raids on the town of Adloun killed four people, while two others died in a strike on an apartment in the Mieh Mieh refugee camp. The attack on the camp also left four people wounded. Another Israeli airstrike on the town of Habboush killed three people and injured 18 others, the NNA reported.

Israel has stepped up its operations against Hezbollah following the group's involvement in the regional conflict, which erupted when the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in late February. Hezbollah's rocket fire on March 2 escalated the situation, pulling Lebanon into the broader conflict.

The Israeli military has not yet commented on the latest raids, but it had previously warned of an imminent attack on Beirut's southern suburbs, which are strongholds of Hezbollah. Military spokesman Avichay Adraee stated online that Israeli forces were targeting Hezbollah's "military infrastructure" in the area with increased force. He also issued a warning to residents, urging them to evacuate for their safety.

Israel, which occupied southern Lebanon for nearly two decades until 2000, has made clear its intention to take control of the region up to the Litani River, around 30 kilometers from the Lebanese border. The ongoing military campaign has already claimed at least 1,072 lives in Lebanon, with more than one million people displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.

Meanwhile, in northern Israel, where air raid sirens have repeatedly sent residents into shelters, a woman was killed on Tuesday following rocket fire from Lebanon. The continued escalation of hostilities has raised fears of further instability in the region.

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