Series of Israeli strikes on Nabatieh, drone strikes kill 3 since dawn in south Lebanon

BEIRUT — Israel launched a series of heavy attacks on the Nabatieh district on Thursday, killing at least eight people and wounding several rescue workers, according to local sources.

Israeli airstrikes struck the city of Nabatieh and nearby areas, while drone strikes hit roads across southern Lebanon, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South.

Israeli airstrikes destroyed a building in Nabatieh’s "al-Maslakh" ("the slaughterhouse") neighborhood. A drone strike later hit a building in the city’s historical souk opposite the Evangelical School. The attacks killed delivery driver Charbel Assaf.

Israel also struck the nearby town of Nabatieh Fawqa twice.

In Toul, Israel launched a double strike near Ragheb Harb Hospital. After the first attack, a drone struck rescue teams heading to the scene, destroying an ambulance belonging to the Islamic Health Committee, Hezbollah’s rescue organization, and wounding four paramedics.

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Israeli shelling also hit the outskirts of Doueir near the citadel, while a drone strike on a motorcycle near Qseibeh seriously wounded its driver.

At dawn, an Israeli drone strike killed two people driving a pickup truck on the road linking Habboush and Nabatieh, near the Vehicle and Traffic Management Authority ("nefaa").

A few hours later, another Israeli drone strike targeted a tow truck near the Safa gas station on the Mayfadoun road in Nabatieh, killing one person and wounding another. By early afternoon, Israel was still blocking local rescue teams from reaching the site, according to local sources.

The Israeli army also ordered residents to evacuate three villages in the district: Bfarweh, a Christian-majority village that had not previously received direct threats, as well as Deir Zahrani and Habboush, which Israel had repeatedly attacked in recent days.

Israeli attacks also hit Braasheet, Yater, Deir Kifa, Khirbet Silm, and Hanaway in the Sour district. Drone strikes on motorcycles in Khirbet Silm and Hanaway killed three people. Overnight, an Israeli airstrike on Arzi in the Saida district killed another man.

Hezbollah said it launched a drone attack Thursday morning in Deir Siryan targeting an Israeli army bulldozer, used to raze southern villages.

Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters have clashed repeatedly in Deir Siryan in recent days. The Israeli army said Wednesday that a Hezbollah drone wounded four soldiers there, including one seriously.

Hezbollah said Wednesday evening that it struck an armored vehicle in the area with a drone, then shelled the Israeli team that arrived to evacuate the wounded by helicopter.