Israeli attacks on eastern Lebanon village kill at least 12 people

Al Jazeera:

Israeli air attacks have killed at least 12 people and wounded others in eastern Lebanon, state media reported, as a fragile ceasefire comes under growing strain.

The air attacks hit the village of Mashghara in the Bekaa Valley late on Monday, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it struck more than 100 Hezbollah infrastructure sites and “terrorists” in the Bekaa Valley and across southern Lebanon in the wave of attacks.

The attacks came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had authorised more intensive strikes against Hezbollah across Lebanon, putting further pressure on a US-brokered ceasefire that took effect last month.

Reporting from Mashghara, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr said there were at least 10 attacks in the span of half an hour on an area with residential buildings.

“There’s no final death toll because people remain missing. Excavators are still digging through the rubble,” she reported.

According to Khodr, the attack was seen “as part of a pressure campaign by Israel against Hezbollah”.

“The Israeli military has been trying to change the security situation and to pressure Hezbollah to stop using its explosive drones that have been targeting Israeli troops occupying southern Lebanon and Israeli positions in northern Israel.”