Israeli strikes kill three in southern Lebanon amid renewed military pressure

Israeli military strikes across southern Lebanon on Saturday killed at least three people and injured 11 others, according to local reports, marking a significant escalation in cross-border violence despite a nearly year-old ceasefire agreement.

The attacks, which included both air raids and drone strikes, drew immediate condemnation from the European Union, which urged Israel to respect the existing truce.

The deadliest incident reported Saturday occurred in the southeast, where an air raid struck a vehicle traveling on a road between the towns of Ain Ata and Shebaa, near the slopes of Mount Hermon. The strike killed two brothers, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.

Israel's military confirmed carrying out the action, stating that the two individuals killed were members of Hezbollah involved in arms trafficking activities. The military further asserted that the men were "smugglers of the Lebanese Resistance Companies," a group allied with Hezbollah, and had violated the ceasefire through their actions.

In a separate incident in the southern town of Baraashit, an attack targeting a car killed one person and injured four others, according to reports citing the *Times of Israel*.

A third major strike occurred in the southern town of Bint Jbeil, where an Israeli drone hit a car near the Salah Ghandour Hospital. Lebanon's Ministry of Health Affairs reported that seven people were injured in this attack. Reports indicated that two missiles struck the vehicle in the densely populated area.

The strikes follow an announcement by Israel's military on Thursday that it had initiated a new series of bombardments targeting what it described as "terrorist infrastructure" in southern Lebanon.

The European Union issued a statement Saturday condemning the Israeli attacks and calling on all parties to adhere to the ceasefire that was established almost a year ago.