"Hezbollah using its own civilians as human shields": Netanyahu on several killed in Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon

Tel Aviv: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday accused Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire in Lebanon by attacking Israeli soldiers, as the military carried out a strike in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah accused Israel of "aggressive escalation" and targeting civilians.

In a post on X, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said Hezbollah attacked Israeli soldiers operating in the security zone, seriously injuring three soldiers.

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"The Hezbollah attack seriously injured three of our soldiers. The IDF responded by striking the Hezbollah terror headquarters which ordered the attack," the post said.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said the IDF only later learned that civilians were present inside the "Hezbollah headquarters" that was struck. "Hezbollah is willing to do anything, including using its own civilians as human shields, to falsely accuse Israel of deliberately targeting civilians, which the IDF clearly did not," it said.

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US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee echoed the allegation, saying Hezbollah "severely wounds" Israeli soldiers.

In a post on X, Huckabee said, "Iran's proxies are pure evil. Hezbollah severely wounds @IDF soldiers knowing @Israel will respond. Hezbollah rounds up children to put in the military zone b/c they want them to be in harm's way."

He added that Netanyahu "affirms what US observes in Lebanon & in Gaza w/ Hamas."

According to the official IDF Telegram channel, the military struck a central headquarters of Hezbollah's Radwan Force in the Ansar area of southern Lebanon.

The IDF said the strike killed Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan, identified as a battalion commander in the Radwan Force, along with several others who were allegedly involved in advancing attacks against Israeli soldiers operating in the security zone.

The military said Hassan's family was also present inside the headquarters and was harmed in the strike, but maintained that they were not the intended targets. "The strike was specifically directed at Hassan, who was a lawful target under international law," the IDF said, alleging that Hassan used his family as human shields.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah accused Israel of carrying out an "act of aggressive escalation" in southern Lebanon and targeting civilians, according to Al Jazeera.

A Hezbollah statement said Israel targeted a house on the outskirts of Ansar village and a building in Deir al-Zahrvillage, alleging that it was expanding the areas being struck. The group alleged that the escalation reflected Netanyahu's desire "to escalate the war in order to bolster his domestic political standing, serve his electoral goals, and appease the far-right".

Hezbollah also criticised Lebanese authorities and called on them to seek ways to halt Israeli strikes rather than pursue direct negotiations.

Earlier, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun condemned Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.

Salam condemned the Israeli escalation, saying the strikes were undermining efforts to stabilise the situation in southern Lebanon.

Referring to the seven people killed in an Israeli airstrike on Ansar, Prime Minister Salam said they were not military targets.

"The seven martyrs of the Israeli airstrike on the town of Ansar are not 'military infrastructure,' nor are the children and women killed in it military targets," he said.