Israeli Airstrike Kills Three Civilians in Southern Lebanon

Attack targeted two motorcycles traveling from Kfar Jouz to Nabatieh

Israeli forces carried out an airstrike against the town of Kfar Jouz in southern Lebanon today, hitting two motorcycles that were traveling along the road to the nearby town of Nabatieh. At least three civilians were reported killed in the strike, including a child.

Rescue workers rushed to the scene of the attack, and rescued at least three people who were injured in the strike. Israel did not indicate why they attacked the target, though they generally attack any still-functional motorcycles in southern Lebanon.

Early indications are that the wounded civilians were traveling in a nearby car at the time of the attack, and simply got caught up in the strike. Reports are still going to circulate about the escalation assuming Israel doesn’t decide to offer a comment on the matter.

This is the first deadly attack on Lebanon since Israel carried out a drone strike Tuesday against a Hezbollah commander in the eastern Bekaa Valley. They also attacked Nabatieh on Tuesday, and wounded at least eight people there.

Israel has been carrying out strikes on a nearly daily basis in recent months, and is talking about the prospect of invading Lebanon outright over Hezbollah’s presence in the country’s south.

The talk of an imminent invasion has been ongoing for months, despite international efforts to try to broker a deal to calm tensions along the frontier. Hezbollah has said they would agree to a ceasefire so long as there is a comparable ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.