Israeli Airstrikes Kill 13 in Southern Lebanon Days Before Washington Peace Talks

Israeli airstrikes killed 13 people across southern Lebanon on Tuesday, sharply escalating military operations just days before scheduled peace talks between Israel and Lebanon are set to begin in Washington.

Lebanon’s health ministry reported five deaths in Nabatieh, including two civil defense workers. In a separate attack on Jibchit, four were killed — among them a Lebanese soldier and a Syrian citizen. Four civilians, including a child and a woman, died in Bint Jbeil.

Lebanese authorities condemned the strikes, accusing Israel of showing “complete disregard for all international norms.”

The violence comes ahead of Thursday and Friday’s talks in the U.S. capital, even as cross-border fighting intensifies. Israeli troops were deployed near the frontier, with smoke billowing over southern Lebanon amid ongoing exchanges between Israeli forces and Hezbollah.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem dismissed U.S. calls for the militant group to disarm, vowing to turn the battlefield into “hell” for Israeli forces.

Since an April 17 ceasefire, Lebanese authorities say at least 380 people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured.

The United Nations reported a sharp increase in drone activity over the last 24 hours in Sector West in southern Lebanon. UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said peacekeepers observed multiple drones flying over or near UN positions in Shama, Al-Mansouri, Al-Bayada, and Beit Leif.

“An armed quadcopter exploded after crossing Al-Bayada Hill,” Haq said. “At this stage, UNIFIL has not confirmed the origin of the drones observed.”

Separately, three presumed Hezbollah drones impacted an area near UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, where Israel Defense Forces troops were present.