Ceasefire breaks as Israeli strikes kill at least 12 in southern Lebanon.

At least 12 people, including a child, have been killed in southern Lebanon as Israeli strikes intensify, shattering the fragile truce that has held since mid-April. The violence comes despite a US-brokered ceasefire extended to May 17, leaving civilians in the crossfire of a conflict that has already claimed over 2,600 lives since hostilities escalated on March 2.

In the Nabatieh district alone, Israeli forces killed at least eight individuals in the village of Habboush on Friday, wounding another eight, including a woman and a child. The military's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, posted on social media urging residents to evacuate immediately to a distance of at least 1,000 meters, yet the attacks struck with little warning. A day prior, the village was hit without any advance notice, prompting forced evacuation orders that offer no real safety.

The human cost is mounting rapidly. Al Jazeera's Obaida Hitto reported from the southern city of Tyre that the Lebanese Civilian Defence is sifting through rubble after "massive air strikes" leveled a residential neighborhood. "The footage coming out of there is really dramatic, with buildings completely flattened," Hitto said, noting a recurring pattern of devastation across the country. She added, "We keep seeing this same kind of strategy throughout the country," citing strikes that killed and injured many others in at least six additional locations today, victims who include women and children.

The National News Agency confirmed that another four people were killed in separate attacks near Tyre and Nabatieh. In a single day, Israel demolished houses, a convent, and a school, further displacing families who were already trying to survive under the threat of imminent violence. On Thursday alone, at least 28 people were reported killed in Lebanon, driving the total death toll higher even as diplomatic efforts to pause the fighting continue to falter.

While Israel maintains that its operations target the pro-Iran group Hezbollah, the reality on the ground shows that a large proportion of the dead are civilians caught in the blast zones. Hezbollah has responded with its own attacks on Israeli forces inside Lebanon, claiming to have targeted a Merkava tank and soldiers in Sour. Meanwhile, Israel continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon, designating the area a buffer zone that remains contested and dangerous.

The Ministry of Public Health's Emergency Operations Center issued a grim update on Friday, stating that 2,618 people have been killed and 8,094 wounded since the current phase of fighting began. This surge in casualties occurs against the backdrop of a war that started following the October 2023 conflict in Gaza, with attacks intensifying in September after the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. A brief ceasefire in November 2024 was violated by Israel more than 10,000 times, and the current truce, triggered by the US and Israel's killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has already collapsed under renewed assaults.

Residents remain trapped in a cycle of destruction, with government directives now forcing evacuations rather than offering protection. The urgency of the situation is clear: regulations and ceasefire agreements are failing to stop the bloodshed, and the public faces an immediate threat to their lives and homes as the conflict spirals further out of control.