This photo shows a destroyed building at a site that was targeted by an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese village of Arab Salim on Sept. 6, 2026. (Credit: Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP)
BEIRUT — Israel, which has again accused Hezbollah of attempting a “drone attack” on its forces in the areas it occupies in southern Lebanon, has carried out relentless strikes across the Nabatieh region since dawn, killing two women and completely destroying a hospital for the first time since 2023.
It accused Hezbollah of “launching two exploding drones” toward its forces in the "buffer zone" it occupies. Its army said soldiers “opened fire on one of the drones and intercepted it” and that the alleged attack caused no injuries.
The Israeli army said it was “currently carrying out strikes in southern Lebanon in response.” At 6 a.m., it ordered residents of a neighborhood in Arab Salim, a village in the Nabatieh district, north of the occupied “buffer zone,” to evacuate. This is the first such warning since mid-June.
Israel destroys a heritage building and a hospital
An Israeli strike destroyed Ghandour Hospital in Nabatieh Fawqa, which had closed and stopped admitting patients several years ago. This marks the first time since 2023 that Israel destroyed a hospital in Lebanon.
Amina Farhat, the wife of the hospital’s owner, confirmed the “total destruction” of the four-story facility to L'Orient Today's correspondent. The hospital had stopped operating after the financial crisis began in 2019.
The hospital still contained operating rooms, medical imaging equipment and laboratories, according to Farhat. “The amount of the losses is estimated at several million dollars,” she said.
At 5 a.m., an Israeli airstrike destroyed a three-story building in the industrial zone of Kfar Roummane (Nabatieh district), injuring four women, the Health Ministry said. Another Israeli strike reduced a heritage building in Nabatieh’s al-Rahbat neighborhood to rubble, injuring eight people, including a woman and a child, also according to the ministry.
Successive strikes also hit Nabatieh Fawqa, killing two and injuring two others, according to the Health Ministry. Israel also struck several neighborhoods in Nabatieh and Dabshe hill, where an Israeli drone fired a missile at a motorcycle, seriously injuring one person.
Israeli strikes at dawn on the city of Nabatieh also damaged the local Finance Ministry building, the ministry’s media office said. According to the statement: “Minister Yassine Jaber immediately instructed officials to protect the documents and files and ensure the continuity of services in the building.”
Two dead, including a woman, in Arab Salim
In Arab Salim, 30 minutes after the evacuation order, an Israeli strike hit a three-story villa separate from the building the army had initially identified. The strike killed two women and injured six people, including two children, the Health Ministry said.
Another Israeli strike destroyed the building named in the evacuation order, and another hit a separate building.
Since Aug. 15, Israel has repeatedly accused Hezbollah of carrying out drone attacks that the party has not claimed. Each accusation has preceded Israeli bombardments of villages outside the occupied “buffer zone.”
On Aug. 15, Israeli attacks on Deir Zahrani and Ansar killed 11 people, including women and children. Israeli forces then struck Arab Salim, killing a young woman. Overnight Friday into Saturday, Israel carried out several airstrikes on villages in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, killing four people.
Israeli attacks also continued overnight across several areas of southern Lebanon. Airstrikes hit Mansouri (Sour), as well as Wadi Slouqi and Talloussa (Marjayoun).
Israel carried out demolition operations in Rshaf and Kounin (Bint Jbeil), Deir Siryan (Marjayoun), and Mansouri. Israeli forces had already carried out about 15 demolition operations in Mansouri the previous day.
Israeli artillery fire also hit several areas, including the outskirts of Beit Lif and Braasheet (Bint Jbeil).