Lebanon says Israeli strikes on south kill two

Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed two people and wounded seven others on Monday, the Lebanese health ministry said, as Israel said it killed two members of Hezbollah.

Israel in recent days threatened to expand its attacks against the Iranian-backed, Lebanese armed group.

In a preliminary toll, the ministry said that an "Israeli enemy strike" on the town of Doueir in Nabatiyeh district killed one person and wounded seven others.

The second strike on Aita al-Shaab in the Bint Jbeil district also killed one person, according to the ministry.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli drone targeted a car in Doueir, causing it to catch fire.

The Israeli military said it killed Mohammed Ali Hadid, alleging he was "a commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan Force in the Nabatieh area" who tried to "reestablish Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites".

In Aita al-Shaab, the army said it killed a Hezbollah member who "was observed attempting to gather intelligence on (Israeli) troops".

An AFP photographer in Doueir saw firefighters extinguishing flames in the targeted vehicle and around five other damaged cars.

He also saw workers removing shattered glass from shops damaged by the blast.

The NNA said that the strike caused damage to a local shopping centre.

Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end over a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, escalating attacks in recent days.

It warned on Sunday that it would intensify its attacks against the group, with Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz claiming Hezbollah was "playing with fire, and the president of Lebanon is dragging his feet".

Hezbollah was badly weakened during the war, and the United States has pressured Lebanon to disarm the Iran-backed group.

On Saturday, four people were killed in an Israeli strike on a car in Nabatiyeh district, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

On Friday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun accused Israel of responding to his offer to negotiate by intensifying its air strikes.

While Lebanese authorities have held indirect talks with Israel in the past, US envoy Tom Barrack told reporters in Bahrain on Saturday that his country was pushing for direct negotiations.