An Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon killed seven people early Saturday, one of the deadliest attacks since a precarious truce between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect on June 20.

Details of the Attack

State-run National News Agency said the airstrike targeted a home on the edge of the village of Ansar and that paramedics were still searching through the rubble. Lebanon’s Health Ministry later said the seven killed included three children and two women. The ministry added that two people were wounded in the airstrike on Ansar after state media earlier reported that three people were wounded.

Israel and the Lebanese government announced a “framework agreement” on June 26, laying out a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon, in exchange for the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. It also envisions steps toward an eventual peace agreement between the two countries — which technically remain in a state of war nearly 80 years after Israel’s establishment.

Hezbollah has refused direct talks and wasn’t party to the deal. Intense Israeli airstrikes early Saturday also hit the strategic Ali Taher hill, which overlooks parts of the southern city of Nabatiyeh and main roads leading to it, NNA reported.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in the areas of Ali Taher and Ansar in response to an action against Israeli soldiers in the area. The military added that it will not allow the Hezbollah to harm Israeli civilians or soldiers “and will continue to operate to remove threats.”

Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.