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Eleven killed in Lebanon village as Israel intensifies attacks

2026-05-26 15:24:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Israel has launched an intense wave of attacks across southern and eastern Lebanon, after vowing to step up military action against Hezbollah.

The Israeli military said it hit more than 100 Hezbollah infrastructure sites and fighters during what was one of the heaviest nights of bombing since the start of a US-brokered ceasefire in mid-April.

Lebanon's health ministry said the attacks in the village of Mashghara in the Bekaa Valley killed 11 people, including two children. The army said it struck locations where "terrorist activity" was identified.

This came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had given the instruction to "push the pedal even harder" in targeting Hezbollah.

The ceasefire has been repeatedly violated by both sides, threatening to derail complex talks underway to end the war between the US, Israel and Iran.

Israeli air and artillery attacks have continued daily, particularly in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah has fired rockets and drones at communities in northern Israel and Israeli troops have occupied parts of southern Lebanon.

On Monday evening, Netanyahu said in a video statement that Israel would increase the number and intensity of its strikes against Hezbollah in response to attacks by the Iranian-backed Shiite Muslim group, including those involving drones with fiber optics that can evade Israeli defenses.

"We will deal them a devastating blow," he vowed.

The announcement sparked scenes of panic in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, with residents seen fleeing the area following the comments. Thousands of cars filled the streets with families trying to flee for safety.

Although the nighttime attacks did not hit the capital, Israeli warplanes carried out successive strikes across Lebanon throughout the evening and into the early hours of the morning. The BBC counted dozens of attacks in nearly 50 locations.

A man and his wife were killed in an attack on their home in the southern town of Arab Salim on Monday evening, and two other people were killed in the village of Kauthariyet El Rez, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Overnight, several houses in Mashghara were destroyed by Israeli airstrikes, according to NNA. Unverified video footage on social media appeared to show streets of destroyed and burning buildings, with fires spreading rapidly.

The Lebanese health ministry said the bodies of 11 people, including a woman and two children, were pulled from the rubble. Another 15 people were injured, it added.

The Israeli military also released aerial footage from Mashghara, which it said showed several airstrikes on "Hezbollah infrastructure sites where terrorist activity was identified." "During the strike, the terrorists were eliminated," it added./ CNA, translated by BBC