Israeli Army Attacks Southern Lebanon, Resulting in 3 Deaths; Hezbollah Launches Rockets in Retaliation

Xinhua News Agency, Beirut/Jerusalem, April 23 - On the same day that Lebanon and Israel held ambassador-level talks at the White House, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reported that an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon resulted in three deaths. The Lebanese Hezbollah announced that it fired rockets into northern Israel in response to Israel's violation of the ceasefire agreement.

The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health stated in a statement that the Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon that day resulted in three deaths and two injuries, including one child.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV reported, citing a Hezbollah statement, that the Israeli military conducted airstrikes on the village of Aitaroun, and in response, Hezbollah militants launched multiple rockets at the Israeli settlement of Shatila at 11:15 PM that day.

The Israeli military issued a statement saying that Hezbollah fired several rockets at the Shatila settlement that night, and the rockets were intercepted by the air defense system after crossing the border. A warning system installed on the mobile phones of Xinhua reporters indicated that air raid sirens sounded in northern Israeli communities near the Lebanese border. Israeli media reported no casualties.

The Times of Israel stated that since the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, Hezbollah had attacked Israeli military forces in southern Lebanon several times, but this was the first time rockets were fired into Israeli territory.

At midnight local time on the 17th, a temporary ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel took effect for ten days. However, Israel continued to launch attacks citing violations of the ceasefire agreement by Hezbollah. On the evening of the 23rd Eastern Time, U.S. President Trump announced on social media that the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel would be extended for three weeks.

Data released by Lebanon's disaster risk management department on the 23rd showed that since the resumption of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel on March 2, Israeli attacks in Lebanon have resulted in 2,483 deaths and 7,707 injuries. (End)