Israeli strikes on vehicles in southern Lebanon killed at least 12 people on Wednesday, including 2 children, according to Lebanon's health ministry and multiple reports. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The attacks hit cars in Barja, Jiyeh and Saadiyat south of Beirut, and also targeted vehicles farther south near Sidon and other locations, the reports said. [1, 3, 4] The Israeli military had not publicly commented in the BBC report, but said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in southern areas. [1]
The strikes came during an ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict despite a ceasefire. [1, 3, 4] BBC said Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem had written that the group would “not abandon the battlefield” and opposed the planned talks. [1]
The casualty toll from the conflict has mounted sharply. Lebanon's health ministry said more than 2,896 people had been killed since the conflict began in the BBC report, while Anadolu reported more than 2,840 deaths since March 2, along with more than 8,690 wounded and over 1.6 million displaced. [1, 3, 4]
US-mediated direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Washington were scheduled for Thursday after the strikes. [1, 5]
