Israeli strikes kill 14 in S. Lebanon

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM — At least 14 people were killed in Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon on Saturday, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.

The Lebanese army said the three soldiers were killed while patrolling in a vehicle on the Khardali-Kfar Tebnit road in the Nabatieh area.

The Israel Defense Forces said it has launched an investigation into the strike, claiming that the vehicle was found in an active combat zone with intelligence indicating a Hezbollah threat. The IDF stressed that its operations target Hezbollah, not the Lebanese army.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon condemned the attack as a "gross violation" of Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri rejected Israeli justifications, calling the strike "by no means a mistake or an accident".

Elsewhere, six people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the town of Saksakiyeh in the Sidon District, according to a preliminary toll.

Additional strikes killed one person on the Deir al-Zahrani highway, two in the town of Harouf, one in Jouaiya, and one on a motorcycle in Abbassiyeh, who was identified as assistant nurse Ali Samadi.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for several towns and villages in the Jezzine District and Ansariyeh.

The IDF said it struck around 150 Hezbollah military infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon over the weekend, including weapons depots, command centers, and rocket launchers.

Hezbollah said its fighters confronted an Israeli Hermes 450 drone over the town of Sharqiyeh in southern Lebanon and forced it to retreat. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the claim.

In a separate statement, Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operations Center said the cumulative casualties from Israeli attacks since March 2 had risen to 3,593 killed and 10,990 injured.

Lebanese army commander General Rodolphe Haykal has left for Pakistan on a visit, Lebanon's army said on Saturday.

The army said the visit was at the invitation of Haykal's Pakistani counterpart, but did not immediately provide further details on the purpose or duration.

XINHUA-AGENCIES