UPDATE - 3 killed, 18 injured in Israeli airstrike on building southern Lebanon

UPDATES WITH LATEST DEATH TOLL; ADDS MORE DETAILS; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK

By Wassim Seifeddine, Ikram Kouachi and Ahmed Asmar

BEIRUT (AA) - An Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese town of Kfar Tibnit on Friday killed three people and injured 18 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

The strike was part of a series of Israeli attacks that targeted multiple areas in southern Lebanon under the pretext of striking "Hezbollah-linked targets."

The Health Ministry said eight women and six children were among the injured people.

Israeli warplanes struck the Sharafeddine Villa near Kfar Tibnit’s municipal building, reducing it to rubble, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

The attack followed a wave of air raids on the outskirts of Kfar Houneh in the Jezzine district, as well as on the Rihan Heights, Aaramta, and Sejoud in southern Lebanon.

The strikes came after the Israeli army claimed that two rockets had been launched from Lebanon into Israeli territory, an incident Hezbollah denied any involvement in, reaffirming its commitment to the ceasefire agreement signed in November 2024.

A fragile ceasefire had been in place in Lebanon since November, ending months of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.

Lebanese authorities reported over 1,250 Israeli violations of the ceasefire, including over 100 fatalities and more than 330 injuries.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after it refused to comply. It still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.